Dear Maeve,

Skipping over streambeds, admiring armadillo tracks, working countless division problems with you – these are some of my most fond memories.  Your endless curiosity and tireless passion never ceased to inspire me.  You carry so much love for the world. And – now – I can’t bear the thought of someone so wonderfully bright and brave facing this climate crisis, knowing that you would do everything within your power to stop it right now if you could.

Tragically, I know that, no matter how much or how little progress we’ve made by the time you read this, you’ll still have to deal with it in some capacity.

It weighs heavily on me each day.  It’s quite crippling actually – to know that every day we neglect to change, we neglect not only you but every other person on the earth.  I certainly can’t promise that climate change will have been mitigated for you by the time you read this, but I promise I’ll do whatever I can to fix it.

It’s not your fault.  It’s not your mom’s fault.  It’s not the fault of the coal miners in Montana. It’s not even the fault of that obnoxious guy sporting a backwards Vineyard Vines cap who floors his Ford F-150 every time he accelerates.  I don’t think there’s anyone to force the blame on, really.   And I don’t think it would matter if there was.  It’s just something we have to deal with now.

I can only dream that this letter finds you happy and healthy — living in a society that values your protection over its profit.  And I hope that we can give you and every other person a fighting chance for a future.

Love,

Raina