Dear Beloved Daughters,
You are both growing up so fast! I am afraid that if I blink, I will miss something important. I am doing my absolute best to bring you up to be strong, genuine, intelligent, compassionate young women. It’s hard today — there are so many distractions. Things that tempt you to grow up too fast and rob you of your youth. So many things that will test your integrity and your ethics. I hope I can teach you how to stand strong. How to be true to yourselves. How not to cave into peer pressure. How be leaders and not followers. How to live in the moment and love the beauty around you — not spend your youth with your noses buried in tiny little screens or with the latest technology on your ears or in front of your face. I hope you grow to spread love and light wherever you go. I hope you use all of your powers for good and not evil. These are some of my wishes for you, but a lot of this is out of my hands. Especially as you grow wings and spend more and more time out of the nest.
Life is going to throw you a bunch of curve balls. I know. I have been there more times than I care to count. So has your dad. It’s kind of like a rite of passage of growing up. Life will get downright hard sometimes. There is bound to be failure, and heartache, and strife. I hope that the hard parts are minimal at best and we have given you enough tools in your toolkit to bounce back quickly when things don’t go your way.
If you are anything like your Mama, there are going to be times where you are headstrong and impulsive. You will jump in with both feet and life will swirl around you with unparalleled force. There is no doubt that you will make some decisions without thinking of consequences. There will be decisions that seem like good ones at the time, but in hindsight, you might regret. You will hurt and you will be hurt (and it will pain me to watch that all unfold). As much as I possibly can — and as much as you will let me, I will be right there near you to throw you a life preserver when needed. Growth can be challenging, but I never, ever want you to be afraid of life’s water. Jump in, if you care to, and know that you have two parents who love you and have always got your back.
There will also be those times when the world seems so big, daunting, cold, and scary and you will prefer to sit things out on the sidelines or maybe just dip your toes in gradually.
You might crave the comfort of someone holding your hand or hugging you tight. To reassure you. To coax you through the tough parts. That is okay, too (and highly encouraged).
And, sometimes you might just be out there all on your own, not knowing where to turn. When things get really confusing or your heart is at odds with your head — you might opt to don some protective gear before wading in slowly.
You might choose to mull things over. Toss them around a little. Weigh your options.
Just please know that if ever you lose your way, or the current is too swift and forceful, or the weight of it all is dragging you under — please just gaze over your shoulder towards shore and I will be there.
I will act as your beacon of light and your guiding compass. I will help put the wind back in your sails and set you off once again in the right direction.
Whether you choose to live footloose and fancy free or tentative and thoughtful — you are both destined for amazing things!!
I love you both more than you will ever know. You have brought inexplicable joy to my life (and I know your dad feels the same exact way).
With much love,
Your Lifeguard
