My Favorite Girl:
No matter how much I sometimes want it to, it seems time just won’t slow down.
Before the week is out, you’ll be 19, and I can’t help but wonder how the years have managed to fly by so quickly. You’re now in college and experiencing so many amazing things. I am so very proud of the young woman you have become. It is such a privilege to be your mommy, and I am eternally grateful that God blessed me with you.
As you close out the last year of your teens, I can’t help but remember how drastically my life changed after I turned 19. That year, I lost my paternal grandmother, and over the course of the next few years, I also lost both my parents. Those losses caused me to grow up in ways that I never imagined. I am thankful that they eventually brought me closer to God. I know your faith is strong, and I am so thankful I have given you that foundation. I know that no matter what the future holds, you will be alright because you have faith that will move mountains—God is within you. You will not fall.
We’ve grown up together, you and me. While I was busy teaching you, you may not have realized it, but you were teaching me too. It’s because of you that I learned to laugh and enjoy the little things in life—to always make time for those moments that will one day become special memories. It’s because of you, I’ve learned how strong I really am. It’s because of you I’ve learned how to love unconditionally and to be open to not always having a plan—sometimes it really okay to just go with the flow.
Over the years, we’ve experience concerts and cruises, pizza and pedicures, and so many other amazing things. Life hasn’t always been easy, but if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a moment of my journey that led me to you. Thank you for just being you. Thank you for making me want to be and do better. Thank you for loving me in spite of me.
Happy 19th Birthday, my sweet girl. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you. May this be your best year yet, and may your wildest dreams come true. I love you with every fiber of my being, and I am so very proud of you.
We will always be girls for life.
Love,
Mommy
