Fourteenth day of September in the year Two Thousand Thirteen

Dearest Andrew,

I have been contemplating what I could surprise you with for you some time now. I have had hopes and dreams to shower you with fantastic amounts of M&M candies, however those dreams were dashed. One Miss Melanie Solomon, has provided you with a lifetime supply, that no sane person would, nor should they, ever feel is appropriate. Needless to say, this was not enough to deter my efforts of surprising you with some sort of "care package", as it were.

I must admit that I delayed my commitment to writing you as the appropriate inspiration had not hit me. It was not until I was taking a leisurely walk one crisp Autumn day that it had hit me... Literally. A large golden brown leaf hit me right in the face. It must have fallen from a tree and ever so gracefully floated, at such a rapid pace, directly into my eye. It was somewhere around the fourth minute of digging the golden brown flakes of leaf from my eyeball, that I recalled how much I adore the Autumn season. So many wonderful and magical things come from this season. Apple crisp, hot cider, cider doughnuts, haunted amusement attractions, boyfriend-hoodies, holding hands of a loved one while wearing said boyfriend-hoody and visiting the aforementioned haunted amusement attract (while sipping hot cider), and the wonderful recognition that there is no other issue, matter, person, or thing that deserves my utmost attention. Nothing other than being in that moment and enjoying every aspect of it.

But I digress. This letter is not about my admiration for the Autumn. Rather, this is about what sort of "Care Package" I should send you. You see, my dearest Lovebug, when that golden brown leaf hit me it reminded me that things change. Just as that leaf had turned from a vibrant green to a very distinct golden brown, it had changed with the season. Yet, somehow everything it was did not matter. What mattered was that it did change and it was, oh-so beautiful for changing.

As I write this, I realize, you are most likely to ponder what a leaf has to do with what I am sending you in a "care package." Well my Love, I must confess this is not a "care" package. Rather, a "love package." "Why is that?" You must undoubtably be wondering. The answer, my sweet Prince, is simple. The leaf!

Regardless of seasons changing, our colors fading, or falling to the ground, our love remains, and I find this to be oh-so beautiful. As with the golden brown leaf, things change, just like my love for you. While in a quantifiable sense it remains constant, through the seasons it has and will continue to change. That is what this "love package" is, I am sending you my love in the form of a commitment. That is to say, I will allow my love to change with the seasons as time goes by.

In the early Spring of our lives coming together, it was all about the excitement, the possibilities, what will be. And while we are only just blossoming, I realize that there are more seasons to come, our colors will eventually change, we will ultimately fall to the ground, and what will remain will be only memories. But those memories will be oh-so beautiful because the love I promise you will adapt with the seasons. So my sweetie, here's to the seasons to come. Regardless of any distance between us, may our roots grow ever closer until they entwine as one.

With all my heart,
Ricky