Dear Ms. Scholarship

I received a scholarship this week for $2,000. This company also gave me a $2500 scholarship last year. It's a memorial scholarship and it's based on my father's company. I will and never will see this money, since it's based on my father's company and things that go through him never make it to me, but I'm really impressed that they thought enough of me to give it to me two years in a row and the fact that my father is an ass is not their fault. So, what this post is really about, is the letter they wrote me to tell me I received the scholarship. Most scholarships are given with a generic "yay, congratulations" letter, but this one was personalized and something about it just made me all happy and want to marry this Shelley person, who happens to be the widow of the person who the scholarship is in memorial of.

"Dear Via,

Congratulations! On behalf of the scholarship committee, I am please to notify you that you are, once again, a recipient of the Blank Blank Blank (insert actual person here) Memorial Scholarship. As a group, we are impressed with your application and success in college thus far. You maintain a strong GPA, make the Dean's List regularly, particulate in extra curricular activities and work. What is more impressive to us is you accomplish all of this while dealing with two close family members who have/had cancer. From my own experience I can honestly say there is nothing more stressful. For you to be so successful thus far in college while dealing with the stress from family illness and financial worries is amazing. It is our sincerest hope that this scholarship will alleviate some of the stress.

Best Wishes,
Shelley Givesyoumoney"

I don't really think it mattered what was said, I think just the shear fact that she took the time to recognize that me and Bobby Joe would not get the same value out of a standard letter made me smile. Widely.

Thank you, Shelley. You made my week :)