My Dearest Esmé,You were not quite eight months old. We had gone camping at the beach with another family, and 10-year-old Rudolph had been attentive all weekend, helping you navigate the sandy terrain between tents, eating spots, and meeting spots. He didn’t even complain as you dragged him around by the nose.
At the end of the weekend, inspired by who-knows-what, you crawled your way over to Rudolph, grabbed his face with your hands, and planted a big wet toothy smacker on his lips.
We all chuckled at this, your first boy kiss. And Rudolph, normally rosy-cheeked, glowed an even brighter red as he ran from the scene.
You’ve repeated this scenario with other boys you’ve managed to catch, some more willing than others. And we’ve chuckled repeatedly.
As your kisses move from the innocence of childhood to the inquisitiveness of adolescence to the intensity of adulthood, I have many dreams for you. Dreams of scent-laden spots in lush forests with water cascading in the background. Sweet kick-your-feet-in-the-air moments. Handsomeness at its best. Gentlemanly courtesies. Exciting romantic interludes in innovative settings. A prince on a white horse (or in a red Mercedes). Tropical beaches with coconut palms, white sand, and aqua waters. Softly falling snow.
My prayer for you is simple, though.
It’s not that God would protect you from pain, for that would mean a hardened heart. It’s not for eternal innocence, for that would mean a life not fully lived. It’s not even for the perfect man, because no man can completely fulfill you – only God can do that.
My prayer is for no regrets.
Live passionately. Laugh exuberantly. Love wholeheartedly. Be wise, but hold nothing back. You will have low lows, but they will be compensated by incredible highs. At the end of the day, your life will not be perfect, but you will know that if you had to do it all over again, not knowing the future, you wouldn’t change a thing.
You’ll have no regrets.
I love you, baby girl. You are my reason for no regrets.
Your Mommy
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This post has been submitted into Scribbit's Write-Away contest.
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32 comments:
what a beauty filled letter to your daughter. i worry at times that my daughter's heart is somewhat hardened as she has never experienced pain... that being said, i don't want to see her suffer (it's a real 'catch 22', huh)...
i have suffered and am the person i am because of it. i have been blessed by God with a life of no regrets though. and, you are right that is the more important!!!
have a lovely week,
dani
what a loving letter to your daughter.
That is a beautiful letter- very well written and so insightful!
Such a beautiful wish for your daughter... no regrets! Perfect.
That was gorgous. Brilliant. I loved it.
Great job!
What a beautiful letter!
This was beautiful, and oh do I wish the same for my little girl.
Steph
Ditto to my little one. You gave me chills
WOW....loved this!
Hugs,
La Donna
Oh, this gave me chills!
Your daughter is precious. The more they grow, the more you see them going off on their own. I mean you have tons of time, but since my son is almost 22 and about to go live in an apartment for his senior year, time seems to have flown by for me.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'd send you a burger from Red Robin is I could.
Beautiful letter! I write these to my daughter every year and put them in her scrap books. They bring back lots of good memories!
How sweet! And I love this first kiss :)
That's such a beautiful post! What a nice sentiment.
Beautiful and full of love!
What a beautiful prayer! And a beautiful way to express your dreams for Esme's life.
Oh, I wondered when you aid kiss if this was going to be your entry. Its a fun approach. I'm still sweating over what to do. I may have to do fiction.
Very open hearted prayer. Full with wonderful prayer prompts for me to use! Thanks for sharing!
Oh...you are so creative...hope you get that Starbucks card. I have been pondering this one, but haven't gotten it yet.
Love this letter - so sweet.
Great one! I can't decide whether to enter on this one. I am getting so much done ignoring the blog this week! You and Robin, who also posted a First Kiss entry, have inspired me to pick up the pen and start writing.
That is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. wow, wow, wow.
And I agree wholeheartedly.
That is beautiful! Thanks for visiting my blog. Come back anytime.
Congrats on the honorable mention in the Scribbit Writeaway contest!
Congratulations on your honorable mention. i am so grateful for this bit of blessing for you... may it encourage you in these days, even if only in some small way. it was a special letter, and one that makes me feel that one day i will also write one to my own children, individually. love from Italy... and a virtual hug, too!:-)
Congrats on your honorable mention - nice post - did you put the alliteration in on purpose, or was it accidental?....nice touch: "protect you from pain, for that would mean a hardened heart". "eternal innocence"
Gilit
You make my eyes wet :-) That was beautiful! Congrats on your honorable mention! I loved it!
I left a comment earlier, but congratulations now!
I love this post. I have similar dreams for my boys, I'm sure we all do. This really captures the essence though and is wonderfully articulate. Congrats - you're certainly deserving:)
Awww...that is so sweet! What a little cutie! :)
I love the whole idea of this being your daughter's blog- so cute! :)
Thanks for your comment on my post!
You put into words what so many of us have in our hearts as our wishes for our children. Beautifully articulated! Congrats on the Honorable Mention Award.
Zen Mama Wannabe
Really, really sweet and touching! I remember so many moments with and wishes for my daughters, too. Thanks for the lovely keep-worthy way with words!
lol - we grew up with very serious warnings about hydatids so the concept of a doggy kiss just automatically grosses me out!!!
Congrats on the Scribbit honorable mention, and yes, very beautiful rite of passage letter for your child.
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