Dear Little One,
Today, you are two months old. Today, hundreds of thousands of people gather in our nation’s capital- and around the world- to march for women. You have entered this world at a time when our nation, and our world, is divided, and as I sit here and look at your beautiful sleeping face, I am filled with hopes and prayers for you and for the world in which you will grow. My sweet one:
May you grow up in a world where the inherent dignity of every man, woman, and child is celebrated and respected.
May you know that you are valuable, worthy, and oh-so-beautiful, not because of what you may produce, not because of accolades you may earn, not because of how you look or because of compliments you may receive, but because you, sweet girl, are a child of the Most High.
May you know – and may you grow up in a world where- words matter. The 26 letters we string together in various patterns and use to speak about ourselves and about others… these letter-strands hold weight. Our words are the building blocks of society and they can be used as ladders to lift up or as wrecking balls that destroy. May you always use them to elevate, to create, to love.
May you always, always, always stand on the side of love. May your words and actions spread love. And may you know that a life lived in love is a life well lived.
May you throw out the measuring stick that women too often use to compare, to evaluate, to sort. May you recklessly celebrate the success of others and may his or her success never be a threat to yours. May you know that the Jones’ were never meant to be “kept up with.” After all, we’re all on the same team, and a good team never did look alike.
May you know that your value as a woman was never defined by a man. And while we’re here, let me remind you that no one ever has the right to objectify you sweet one. You are far more than a body- don’t let your beautiful soul ever forget that. But know, too, little one, that when the right man does love you, he will use his words and actions to elevate you. His respect for you will have no bounds, and together, you will find that you are far greater than either of you were before.
This life is hard sweet one, I will tell you now that it will not always be easy. The world is full of broken people (that’s all of us) and so when you encounter troubles, when you feel discouraged, when you find yourself face-to-face with injustice; may you stand in love. May you speak your truth with eloquent grace. And may you always extend grace to others, after all, we’re all just doing the best we can.
May you know that there are no bounds to what you can accomplish as a woman. But can we throw out the age-old question of “what do you want to be,” and get rid of the platitude “you can be anything you want to be” because the secret, little one, is that you already ARE. You are worthy. You are dignified. You are enough. You don’t need to BE anything more.
When people do ask, “what do you want to be,” they are asking you for a career goal. Little one, you can have any job you want; truly, with enough time, sweat, and hard work, you can use your gifts in any career field you desire, but please know that a career will never define you, it will never be the measure of your worth, and it will never be the level of your success “as a woman.” Sweet girl, I want you to know that strong, wise, successful women who have made an impact on people and who have made this world a better place, have held all sorts of jobs in and out of the home, so please never let a job title encompass you. When asked what you “want to be”, may you answer: kind, gracious, loving, hopeful.
May you know that you are loved, oh sweet girl, you are so loved, and you have been since before you were even born. May you know that there are countless people who love you, who care for you, who would move mountains for you. So little one, may you never forget that you are never alone. The importance of this community cannot be overstated; we are here to cheer for you, to water the seeds you sow, and to shine a light when the night falls.
And we stand here with immense gratitude for the honor of going on this journey of life with you. We watch with excited anticipation to see the ways in which your beautiful soul blossoms. And we pray– that kindness, grace, love, and hope — may the life you build be defined by these. May the choices you make be based on these. May the world you help shape show a bit more of these.
With all our love,
