Dear Daughter,

From the day I learn of your existence I'll love you. From the day you take your first breath, I'll begin teaching you. Every day in between, and every day after, I'll pray for you.

You'll start learning the order of the elements on the periodic table, the digits of pi, and the proper conjugations for French verbs. While you’re learning to read Hop on Pop, so you can eventually graduate to Great Expectations and Paradise Lost, you'll be learning more than just words. I'll teach you because I want you to know that the world is made of more than just words. I want you to know that the world is made of letters, and numbers, and patterns, and emotion, and atoms which are invisible to the naked eye

I'll teach you the names of the bones and muscles and vessels in your body. You'll learn to trace the path that your blood takes--from your heart, to your lungs, to your brain, to your fingertips. Then, you'll always be right when you say you know something like the back of your hand. And you'll be able to feel your heart beating with the tips of your fingers while you explain how your heart's beating. You'll learn how the human body works, and that it's fragile. You'll learn how easily it can break and be broken.

Before you begin learning the differences between boys and girls, I’m going to teach you that you don’t have to be a damsel in distress, or a princess. Because all they ever do is sit around and wait. Instead, I'm going to teach you to slaughter those dragons yourself. Because eventually the world will teach you that Prince Charming and Superman don’t exist, And I want you to know that you can be your own hero--before the world forces you to need one. I want you to learn to fight for what you want and what you deserve, not just sit around and wait for someone else to give it to you. I want you to understand that life may not always be a fairy tale, but that fairy tales can still exist.

You’re going to start memorizing Bible verses as soon as you can talk. Because knowing God’s word is important, and in order to grow in it and know Him better, you need to know what He is saying. And you’ll begin to develop a passion and extreme love for His word- a hunger that is overwhelming and that can, at times, seem unquenchable. And I’ll ask you to memorize, and help you to memorize, not only because you’re going to be an even better Bible Quizzer than I was, but because you deserve to have a life filled with God’s word and with the joy that comes from knowing what it says.

Daughter, life is going to be rough sometimes. And that’s okay. But don’t ever feel like you have to do it alone. Believe it or not, I have had many struggles in life myself already, and I know I’ll have many more before you’re even born. So, I’ll give you advice on how to deal with that mean kid or that boy who broke your heart.

Speaking of heartbreak, honey, I pray you’ll never have to experience it the way I did. In fact, I pray just the opposite. I pray that the best friend you fall for falls for you too. I pray he chooses you instead of breaking your heart and choosing some other new, strange girl. Because heartbreak like that takes a long time to get over. But, if he does break your heart, don’t be afraid to cry.

I’ll teach you to be strong--to be a fighter. But, that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to cry. It doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to admit you’re hurting, angry, or lonely. And sweetie, if your heart does get broken, don’t let that prevent you from falling in love again, because love is a wonderful thing. And a broken heart just makes true love that much stronger.

Daughter, you are beautiful. You're beautiful both inside and out, but most importantly in. You don't need makeup to make you beautiful. All you need to do is look in the mirror. And if you don't believe you're beautiful, look in a different mirror. Because you're beautiful and worthy and valued.

You're going to grow up to write poems and stories. Or travel the world helping others. Or, you'll be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or a librarian. It doesn't matter what you'll be, because you can be anything you want to be. You'll have such a passion for whatever it is you want to do that you won't let any obstacle get in your way, at least for too long.

So, daughter of mine--be you. Sing in the shower, jump in the snow, sleep in math class. Trace the path of your life--from your heart, to your lungs, to your brain, to your fingertips. Read as much as you can, whenever you can, whatever you can. And write just as much as you read. Dream as high as the sky, and reach as high as the stars.