Love: I hope you concentrate on loving yourself before trying to love another. I want you to find your soul mate without too many “sole” mates (my version of the boyfriend equivalent to the crap on the bottom of your shoe or smelly, rotten fish!). May you find yourself before you find him. If he’s THE one, he wants an authentic you as much as you should.
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| Mom and Jackie 2000 |
Dreams:
“Dreams are illustrations . . . from the book your soul is writing about you.” ~Marsha Norman
Keep a notebook for dreams. Jot down everything your imagination considers. Later, another dream may replace it, but don’t simply disregard anything on your list. (And for my sake I hope your dreams don’t include inspired tattoos, too many men on motorcycles, collection of Mardi Gras beads, or anything to do with modeling or casting couches).
Faith: There’s a reason it’s called a “leap of faith” and I hope you take that leap. In a world where religion is often distorted and used for evil, remember grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love. Let your faith guide you and be your shield without it ever being armor against good people.
Stumbling Blocks: Life is full of them. You can’t avoid them. I just want every pothole in the road to teach you something you needed to learn in order to reach your destination. I hope none leave scars that cannot heal. Know your father and I (and sisters and grandparents, Aunts, etc.) are here to catch you if you fall or throw you back in the ring if we think you can handle it!
Technology: May Facebook, Twitter, and email lose their social allure and good old-fashioned letter writing, kind conversation, and phone calls come back into vogue. Or, at the very least, may you understand the power of social media. Just because you have a thought for a few seconds does NOT mean you should blast it out to all your friends. Once you hit send, you can't take it back.
And a final list of what we’ll both need:
· Patience – for each other and in life
· Prayer – but know unanswered prayers can be the sweetest gifts
· Resilience – for when patience and prayer need a helping hand
· Humor!!
And know all the things we want for you could not possibly be compiled in a list.
God lent us one of the sweetest angels when He gave us you!
What are some of your wishes for your loved ones?
9 comments:
Happy Birthday Jackie! Have a wonderful day!!! And guess what? My daughter turns 6 tomorrow! (:
Those are beautiful wishes. Happy birthday to your daughter. :)
Awesome! I love what you say about stumbling blocks be a necessary part of life. I really love how you hope they don't "leave scars that cannot heal."
Happy birthday Jackie! And this is a beautiful list :)
Happy birthday to your dear daughter, and happy birthiversary to you, mama! What a sweet letter to share with your daughter. Thanks for sharing it with us, too!
Thanks everyone. It's hard to believe she's getting big so fast. Considering how much we have to teach them, shouldn't they be under our roof for more than 18 years? (I might not be saying that after the teen years hit hard. ;-) )
Tia, that's exactly what I think makes parenthood more challenging as the kids get older - our wishes for them grow, and so do the disappointments when they seem harder to attain, and it all just seems more consequential.
Annette, Well said. It's one thing to wish for them to sleep through the night without wetting the bed, another to wish for them to have a child when they are darn good and ready. ;-)
This is a wonderful list from a mom to her daughter. I can feel the unconditional love through your words. Thanks for sharing. - Sun Hee
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