John,

It’s Christmas Eve and, although it’s not as sunny as usual here in Phoenix, it’s comfortable enough to sit outside while I have my tea. It’s a perfect time to reflect on the year behind us and the journey ahead of us.

I’m taking a few days off the campaign trail to enjoy time with family. The kids are all home and, as each of them arrived -- one by one -- over the past week, I was prompted to think about how quickly they’ve grown. They’re cultivating their knowledge, and soon, they’ll be fully on their own, carving out unique life paths, implementing skills and passions to impact the world around them in various ways. As a mother, I couldn’t be more excited or proud.

This comes full circle to remind me why I’m running. I have a responsibility to my kids, to your kids, and to the generations to come. In them, I see hope, optimism, empathy, tolerance, and a fierce desire for justice and equality. But I also see fear and ambivalence about the future -- they want the assurance that the bright promise of America is alive and well, and that it won’t abandon them.

This is why we -- you and I -- do what we do. It’s why we, despite the sacrifice and the sweat, work as hard as we do to create real change -- change that benefits all of our kids. You and I know that it’s incumbent upon us to take the values we’ve instilled in our children over the years and demand they are reflected in our public policies, that the most sacred of American ideals are deeply embedded in each and every law we craft. There are real-life consequences to policies and laws, we know that.

On our watch, yours and mine, we must know that we gave it our all to ensure those consequences positively impact all of our children’s lives, today and in the future.

In a minute, I’ll go inside and start making tonight’s lasagna…maybe the aroma will entice the kids downstairs. For a few days, I’ll relax and bask in the joy of simply being a mom and wife. I have cookies to make, dogs to walk, and a lasagna to assemble. Our family still loves the rituals we’ll perform tonight: reading Twas the Night Before Christmas, leaving cookies and milk out for Santa, scattering oats and carrots for the reindeer, and, tomorrow, I will thoroughly cherish having the family sprawled out in their Christmas PJs for the better part of the day. This includes, of course, Max and Bruno snuggling with the kids while playing with new chew toys. ☺

When I return to the campaign the day after, I’ll be grateful and ready, with my energy restored and my spirit reinvigorated. The work will continue, even when the sources of inspiration are still sleeping soundly in their childhood bedrooms. You and I, we know what’s at stake.

Thank you for your partnership on this campaign: for the progress we’ve made so far and the progress we’ve yet to make. I’m proud to be on this journey with you. This season of giving is the perfect time to give you my renewed commitment to work as hard as I can to win in 2020!

From our family to yours, may you be surrounded by the warmth of a holiday season blessed with joy, good health, and peace.

-Hiral, Kishore, Mira, Anjali, Jalan, Max, and Bruno