Posted on 09/29/2004 11:54:41 AM PDT by esryle
CASTRO VALLEY -- Pari Cariaga can now say that she knows people in high places -- really high places. Last summer, the Castro Valley fourth-grader expressed to her parents, Hilarie and Rudy Cariaga, that she had been feeling lonely because she was an only child.
"She came in one day and just started to cry in my lap," Hilarie said. "She had told me that it was due to the fact that she had nobody to play with."
After seeing this, Rudy suggested to his young daughter that she write a letter to none-other-than first lady Laura Bush, an only child herself.
With the help of her father, Pari started penning the letter that would garner a response nobody could have predicted.
Upon returning home from school one day, Pari learned that she had received something in a huge manila envelope on the kitchen table for her. It was addressed to her from the White House.
"She jumped about 10 inches into the air," said her father. "She was just so excited about it."
In the envelope, Pari found not only a heartfelt letter from the first lady that discussed how she overcame the loneliness in her childhood by reading, but also a plaque with an autographed picture of Mrs. Bush and a copy of the book, "Because of Winn Dixie."
Pari also received a number of photos which included Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynn Cheney, a photo of Air Force One, and photos of President and Mrs. Bush.
Pari had been a fan of Mrs. Bush because of her strong Christian beliefs and her loyalty to her husband. She also felt a kinship with the first lady because Laura Bush was an avid reader when she was a young girl.
"In the package, she sent me a list," Pari said. "The list had a bunch of books that (Mrs. Bush) recommended I read."
Pari's father, having written politicians before and gotten little response, admitted that he was rather surprised.
"She advised Pari to do a lot of reading," he said. "And she also recommended that she join or get involved in a club."
The letter also reinforced a lot of things that they already had been doing as a family, giving Pari a point of reference by showing her that someone else had gone through the exact same thing, Hilarie said.
"I think that one of the most positive things about this is the fact that it shows kids that they can reach out to the highest office in the land and get correspondence back as well," Hilarie added. "It shows kids that they can also make a difference."
Now, that's a lady! Teresa would have probably told the girl to shove it.
Laura Bush-Compassion and Class!
Wonderful post.
Now thats a damn good post. Thanks the post.
Nah, she would have recommended running around without clothes.
she also wrote the same letter to theresa heinz-kerry and received a response of SHOVE IT!
Laura is a classy lady. The president got himself a good woman.
Class with a capital "C".
Now which ones of the MSM will pick up this story. Anyone? Anyone?
They are both good people. And when I think back to what used to occupy the White House, I can okay say, thank G-d for the Bush family.
The Theresa letter said shove it you conservative scumbag
She would have also told the little girl to just go naked!
Teresa wouldn't understand. "But I've always had all the friends money can buy. Doesn't it work the same way for everyone?"
Now which ones of the MSM will pick up this story. Anyone? Anyone?
Check out the name of the parents---Hillarie and Rudy!
Great story, shows the compassion of our First Lady.
Only child, no one to play with, living in yuppie SF burbs .... all of these are symptoms of everyday life in the Occupied Bay Area. This is a crap place to raise kids.
No, you need to learn to speak Texan, that would be "The president got hisself a good woman."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.