Dear daughter,
Sometimes I gaze at you – a beautiful, kind, mature young woman on the doorstep of adulthood – and I wonder what I did to deserve you. I recall the work of child-rearing sharply enough – the disciplining, advising, nurturing and consoling. But how it amounted to the miracle of you is a mystery.
You exceed any dream I could possibly have had. When you were born I tried to imagine who and what you would become, how I would support you, how I would fail you, and why life chose to put us together. But none of my predictions came close to describing all that unfolded.
I find myself wanting to reflect on our years together the way one wants to re-read a favorite story over and over. Even the strenuous parts capture my attention in a way that they didn’t the first time around because I know where the story is headed and how crucial every morsel is to the overall theme.
I see how the world is better because of you. I see how the future needs you. And I see that despite my efforts to show you, you don’t fully realize how valuable you are.
Graduation is an opportunity to indulge my desire to love you out loud. In concert with mothers everywhere, I proclaim my pride along with my gratitude for having had the privilege of raising a child.
Life must be smiling at itself for the job it’s done in creating you, us, all of it. Especially the love that perpetuates between us, filling the world with wonder.
As you make your way into the next chapter, far from my reach, know that there is nowhere you can go that my love can’t follow. I will be right here, holding a space in my heart that was carved out just for you.
Try not to begrudge the loss of the familiarity that you hold so dear. Keep moving forward in the way that you do, with a zest to experience everything, knowing that nothing is meant to last forever.
All that life wants from you is to say ‘yes’ to that which draws you out and brings you joy. May you find what you desire, and be alert to the surprises that await you.
Love,
Mom
Chaos & Clarity 