A LETTER TO MY FUTURE DAUGHTER

Stand tall, little one.

Your branches are young but your roots are strong. I know because I tended them, I watered them, I loved them.  We share the same roots, you and I.

Stand tall, little one.

It's okay to cry, but then you must lift your head and dry your tears.  There will be times that you feel your heart will stop beating for the pain, but know that it won't.  You are a survivor and the pain will make you strong.

You will never be what they want.  First they will tell you that you are to quiet, then they will try to silence you.  They will call you saint and sinner, goddess and demon; you can't please them so please don't try.  Please don't try.  You know who you are and you know what sets your soul on fire.  Feed that fire.

You will be rejected and you will be lonely and you will be afraid.  Courage, daughter, and know that you are loved.

Stand tall, little one.

Open your soul to God and He will replace your doubts with assurance, your fears with faith.  You are weak and you are human and you will make mistakes.  Apologize.  There will be those who will define you by your mistakes.  They will tell you that you've run out of chances, that you can't possibly be good enough.  Don't listen.  God is endlessly patient and He will never get frustrated.  He will always be willing to forgive you, to teach you, to bandage your wounds and kiss your forehead.  Remember that He is the only one who loves you more than I.  Trust him fully.  His plan will always yield better results than ours.

Don't ever waste time on those who don't recognize your true value.  They will only hold you back and they don't deserve to share your world.  Don't allow yourself to be mistreated, but be free with your forgiveness.  Remember that those you love are just as human as you.  They will let you down and they will hurt you and that's okay.  Let it go.  Learn from it.  Let yourself grow.  And let them do the same.

Work hard.  Talent alone will get you no where.  If you want something, go out and fight for it.  You are entitled to nothing, so expect nothing.  Your ambition and dedication will be rewarded.  Prioritize.  Keep your vision and perspective.  Don't let yourself get distracted.  Always remember that God and family come first.

Stand tall, little one.  There are great things in store for you.

Love,
Your Mother

nineteen

It's weird how one ordinary, uneventful day can make such a big difference and now you're much too old and much too young all at once when really nothing has changed and you still can't open your eyes and smile at the same time.  The worst kind of wishes are the ones where you don't know what to wish for.  

Please Bless...

Tree Rings

Maybe a little, maybe a lot.

Maybe a four year old princess with a box of crayons, glitter on her fingernails, and flowers in her hair.

Maybe a seven year old girl with a blue ink stain on her favorite t-shirt who could read an entire Harry Potter book in a day.

Maybe a nine year old who was already sitting on a bench with Phyllis, eating ice cream and planning wild adventures.

Maybe a quiet twelve year old nobody afraid to talk in class, realizing that self-assurance would be a lot more difficult from here on out.

Maybe a skinny fourteen year old dancer waiting to catch up to the rest of the girls her age and wild about a boy she was barely even friends with.

Maybe a sixteen year old blogger impatient for her first kiss and her driver's license, eating peanut butter sandwiches, and sharing coke and m&ms with a boy who would never quite relinquish his hold on her.

Maybe they're all stacked like tree rings inside of an nostalgic eighteen year old who never really hated glitter.  

A girl with callused feet and a blistered heart, impatient fingers and an impossible dream.  A girl who is far too familiar with the sharp, lingering sting of rejection and is afraid that she will never be enough.  A girl with deep roots and tentative branches, who will never stop looking for miracles.

A girl who never lost touch with with that four year old princess who believed in magic.