Hari's 2020 Christmas Letter

Hari stopped writing family Christmas letters a long time ago, but recently started writing them again, but just for our family.  At first this was a little annoying, then I realized what a treasure this is, and just enjoy it.  Below is the letter he wrote for 2020:

To say this year was different is an understatement! But what if I told you that you still gave me so many memories and much to be proud of. 

Ryan you are truly awesome. You show me every day that no matter how different things are in the world you can still make time for the things that are important in life! You can take a bike ride, learn how to ride a skate board , and see your friends in the neighborhood and go shoot some hoops. You haven’t lost sight of both being a kid and what’s important. Funny how those things have a lot in common.

You have grown into a big boy too! Not only in size.... little number 2 is long gone.... but on the field and on the court as well. You are playing with older boys in baseball and soccer.... a 9 yr old in the majors and on an older travel team . Some day soon I  will not be calling you Nolan Ryan or Otto. You will be the one all the kids will want to throw the pitch like and all the kids will want to play goalie because you make it so cool! You truly know how to give it all you’ve got! And let’s not forget tennis.... you have a gift and now you have to work hard on and off the court to get everything out of it.... you can do it! You even got me excited to play tennis again!

Lastly , but most importantly, as a student you are growing, you are out of Randolphville now.... and you left with a bang tying Dr Slivko’s base running time. I will miss taking you and your brother to school there and all the fun times you had and gave me and your Mom. At MLK you now have grades and responsibility! Nothing made me prouder then telling Big Man about Soaring high and hearing your name called on the video on YouTube! And honestly you did that without trying and even rushing you will only do better this year because I know you want to do your best! You are competitive and the best place to win is in school! 

Finally, going back to how you show me that the simple things are important ,is your love of animals and especially dogs. Your Grandpa, Buzzy , had that same connection with dogs and it shows the size of your heart!

Colin, before I forget to mention it I want to tell you that one of the highlights of my year was taking walks in the summer with you. You choosing to spend time with your old man even over playing Fortnite meant the world to me. 

You had quite a year too! There is nothing in the world that can stop you if you believe in yourself!
You ended 5th grade with a bang making soaring high every single grading period at MLK and the last time straight As! If that wasn’t enough you started with straight As at the new school too! You fight yourself every step of the way to success, but you are successful and be proud of yourself!
In a year where sports were nuts you played awesome defense and passed and shot better on an undefeated regular season basketball team! I thought I was watching the Lakers every Saturday when your team went out to play ! After that you moved to the Majors and were the very best player on your team .... hitting, fielding, and pitching the BEAST! But a gentle giant who is always a Sportsman and good to his teammates! 

But the real story was tennis! I got to play with my son in the father/son tournament..... and I won because I got to play with you! It was a treat and we almost did it! We will get them next year !!!
Then you and Johnny played Awesome in the doubles and didn’t lose a single set. And as an old tennis pro I saw the beginning of a bright future for you and secretly I loved that you drive Blake mental too! You capped it off in travel soccer. You and your team improved so much this year and you and “those legs” as your Coach calls them really helped win the loose balls in the midfield!
In the stuff that really counts you were a great friend in the pandemic. Max and Yuriko had no one else and you were there for them. Miss Carolyn calls and treats the two of you like her own grandkids because you make her feel special too! By listening and sharing with her. You have something special that Grandma Lulu had. You make the people around you feel special. You have a warmth and kindness that invites people towards you ! Imagine if you retired your Crankenstein face ! Even your best pal Addie feels it . You may think she helps you and makes you feel better but you do the same for her too!

Monica , in a year where everyone had to evolve and adapt you were both a pillar and a window for the family. You were a pillar because you refused to accept anything less than quality work for yourself and for us. There were no excuses because of our situation. You led by example with your job that changed dramatically underneath you and even had double duty while you transitioned successfully from A to Z..... I mean A to AZ! You passed 3rd grade for the third time with flying colors and 5th grade for the second ! You brought Les Mills to the living room and refused to accept a fatty Addy with your pre dawn walks. You fought to keep the family together even when we were on top of each other with hikes and walks and a summer staycation filled with activities for doers not watchers. The world may be able to shut down almost everything but not Monica! You are a window because through your hard work in keeping an eye on this family you pave away to seeing our future . You make it possible for me and the boys to dream and make plans for the future because you keep us forging ahead each day. There are no shortcuts in work, fitness, sports, or life but the journey makes more memories than the destination. After 21 years we have accomplished more than we realize , we have had some tough terrain along the way but I truly believe that makes everything we’ve done even more rewarding and unlike a lot of families we try as often as possible to keep the family together and support each other in all our endeavors ..... a win for one Sharma is a win for all and a loss is a learning experience to fight back from! We are Sharma’s by the way! And there’s no one else in the world I would rather go through life with than the 3 of you! 

Lastly , we have to include the value our Sydney and Addie brought to our lives this year. This will be your first Christmas without Sydney . It is strange for me too. She gave us the gift of her constant love, affection, attention, and protection . There is a lot to learn from her and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about her and all the joy she gave us. Addie has done an amazing job of filling the sadness of losing Sydney and she has done it in her own special way ..... by just being Addie! She changes for no one and doesn’t apologize for it! Kind of like her Mom , Monica, and that’s what we love about both of them! 

For me this year gave me a chance to appreciate what each one of you mean to me. We may yell and fight and drive each other nuts but we do it as a family and we do it because we want the best for each other and out of love for one another . I spent a lot of time walking and reflecting on the long list of things left that need to be done not because they have to be done but because it will make this family even better and even stronger. I realize that we can do anything we set our minds too because we have done it. There are some big goals we need to set for our family and each one of us can take a small part of that goal and turn it into something to be proud of. I also realize that one of those goals is easy..... we need to keep spending time with each other for as long as we can and support each other when we try our best and remind each other when we can do better! Because that is really what Family First is and a family that plays together stays together! 

Merry Christmas everyone!