Letter to my Unborn Daughter

To My Unborn Daughter,

Right now, I am sitting in the hall that connects the GT building to the CS building on the campus of Utah Valley University. I've been reading Robert Louis Stevenson for my British Literature class, waiting for someone to text me or call me so I'll have somewhere to go besides home. The sun is starting to set but it won't be beautiful for another hour or so. Hopefully I'll be gone by then.

Why am I telling you this? Honestly, I had no idea how to start a letter to you without it sounding terribly cliche or trite. But now I don't know where to go from here. So if the rest of this letter is a bit all over the place, like I'm making it up as I go, it's because I am.

I am terrified I'm going to be a terrible mom to you. I don't know why. I had a great example in my mom, your grandmom. You'll never meet a more loving, self-sacrificing, selfless woman in your entire life. Any time one of us kids needed something, my mom would drop anything and everything to help us. She would do anything to help us. I don't think I can ever come close to how wonderful she is.

I want you to know that even if I mess up, even if I am not always perfect, it doesn't mean I don't love you. There was a time when I was very angry at my mom because I saw all the mistakes she made in raising me. But now I realize she was just trying to figure things out as she went along, which is what I'm sure I'm going to be doing too. But I know, without any doubt, my mom loves me and nothing will ever change that. Even when I break her heart (and I have) she still loves me. And that's how it's going to be with you.

I want to tell you a few things I have learned to be true in my life. You can take them or leave them. If there's one thing I've learned with my parents, it's that they are not always right; what may work for them and be true to them isn't always true to me. But I'm telling you them just the same. Do what you will with them:

Always be kind to others, even if you know they don't deserve it.

To forgive someone is one of the hardest things to do in this life. Don't do it until you're ready.

Don't lie. It just makes everything worse.

Always search for those people in the crowd who don't seem to quite fit in, who seem out of place. They will end up being some of your dearest friends and will nearly always have the best stories.

Never be afraid to try something new.

Always say "yes" to adventure.

It may take time to learn to love yourself and your life. But I promise it will happen.

It's okay to be smart. It's okay to be driven. It's okay to be passionate. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what the hell they are talking about.

Read everything and anything you can get your hands on.

There will come a time when you will fall in love and he will break your heart. It'll hurt like hell for what seems like forever but I promise one day it will stop.

Be brave. Take chances.

I want you to know I will never ever stop loving you. I know you're going to do great things in your life and I can't wait to be right there with you.

Love you.
Mean it.