Dear Gordana,
I have grown up with you in my life and I still do not know if I have ever said this to you, but I love you, and I will always remember everything you have done for me. It’s weird to think that I could be closer with my neighbor than some of my own relatives, but with us, that is the case. For years you were like my second mom. My sister and I would go to your house every day after school until our parents could come get us from work, and you always were so happy to do something as little as babysitting. We still go to your house every Christmas, and I look forward to it every year. You always greet us with the biggest hug, a bright smile, and amazing food! You are the type of person that warms hearts, that changes lives. And you have changed mine for the better.
Whether it was something as little as helping me with my math homework (for years and years) or being there for my family and me this year when we were going through something awful, you were always there, always smiling. Although your house is about 20 feet away, when I’m in it, I feel like I never left home. We just have to walk through the path Vieko made for us through the trees that separate our yards, and our day gets so much brighter. I know I have thanked you, but I don’t know if I have said I love you. But I do, G. You are family.
Love, Shannon
ENGL110 Spring 2020 11:15-12:05 
It’s so cool that you had this woman who cared for you whom you aren’t even related to. I’m sure she knows that you love her and I bet she loves you to. I loved when you said, “You are family,” because family isn’t just the people with whom you are related, but it’s those who are always there for you and will do anything for you.
-Maddy Mengel
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I really liked how your post showed that sometimes non family can be as close, if not closer, than real family. I can also relate to your post. My neighbors have been our best friends for my whole life. We count on them and they count on us. I particularly like when you said “I feel like I never left home”. This did a great job at portraying how comfortable you feel around her.
-Mihalis Hrisafinis
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This was such a sweet and poignant letter to your neighbor. I loved how you talked about things that are special between you and her. The main message I took away was that neighbors are some of the most important people in our lives whether you live with a family or not. As you pointed out, neighbors can easily start to become family. Being able to establish good relations with them can make a world of difference for your living conditions.
-Michael Muscato
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Relationships like this really do go a long way. I feel like most of us have at least one of these types of relationships; the type where you’re very close with someone outside your family, like a family friend. You feel like you can always rely on people like this and they’ll be there for you no matter what. I really love that you chose to tell her that you love her because I feel as if sometimes we really don’t let certain people know how appreciative we are of them, or how much they truly do mean to us.
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