Dear Ruco Banda
I feel so happy and grateful to life for giving me the chance to reconnect with you, Rick, after so many years.
I know I came to see you last year, but it was only for a few days and I wasn’t in the best place emotionally… I didn’t fully appreciate that time.
This time, being able to come back, spend time with you, talk, laugh, and simply be present… means so much to me.
For those who don’t know Rick, I met him when I was 13 years old.
At that time, without even realizing it, he became a important person in my life.
Rick, you believed in me when many people didn’t.
During one of the hardest moments of my life, you were there for me… and to me, you were like a father.
I will always be grateful for your support and your love… as a father, as a friend, as a brother.
Today I thank life for bringing us back together, and I thank God that we’re both still here.
It makes me really happy to see you doing well.
Now you’re 76… I was 13 when we met and you were 40.
And it gives me peace to see you here, in a place you chose so well.
I know you’ve built a new family here.
People love you, the locals care about you… and that gives me peace, knowing you’re surrounded by good people.
I always remember those years with you in California…
everything you did for me, giving me that opportunity along with Chris to get into high school, always wanting the best for me.
I also remember how you taught me with discipline, sometimes being tough on me… but now I understand it was because you wanted me to grow and learn about the important things in life.
And most of all, the values you passed on to me…
like the one I will never forget:
“Try to always be a giver, not a taker.”
To be a better person, with others and with myself…
that stayed with me forever.
I truly enjoyed these days with you…
the laughs, the conversations… and those moments in your room, listening to music, stretching, almost meditating…
just like the old days in California.
That’s exactly what I needed… quality time with you.
Thank you for welcoming me, and for always keeping me in your prayers and in your life.
I love you, Rick.
@sanford.richard
See you soon. 🙏🏼