When our niece Sarah told us about her wedding plans, my husband Jim and I were so happy. But our happiness didn’t last long because a few days later we got a shocking letter from Sarah. She asked for a $5,000 trip with her fiancé and sent us a mean note to go along with it.
Even though we don’t have much money, we’ve always helped Sarah out by giving her caring gifts and money. It was like getting hit in the face when she asked. We were very angry and hurt, but as we thought about what we had done, we became more determined. We chose to stand up for Sarah and teach her a good lesson about respect and thanks.
First, we got out all the things we’d given her over the years, like quilts we’d made ourselves, jewellery that would last a lifetime, and special memories. Each thing stood for our love and hard work. We put them away in the hopes that Sarah would understand how valuable they really were one day. We also stopped giving her money for her wedding, which was a hard choice that broke our hearts.
In a note to Sarah, we told her how hurt we were and what we had done. We hoped she would think about how she behaved and understand how important it is to be grateful and humble. We told her that love isn’t about getting things, but about appreciating the people who care about you.
What happened next was hard. Sarah was very angry, and some family members agreed with her. But Jim and I are still sure about our choice. We think it’s important to set limits and teach thanks as part of love. We hope that Sarah will learn from this and grow from it over time.
