To my dearest children on the night before school begins
Another summer has passed us by and tomorrow you begin a new school year. Your brand new supplies with the crisp edges, pristine pages, and sharpened points are neatly packed away waiting for you to break them in. Before you head out I want to tell you a few things.
You are amazing. You are amazing exactly as you are. God made you with such unique and wonderful talents, gifts, looks, and personality traits that there is not a single person that has ever existed or that will ever exist that is exactly like you. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you aren’t good enough for him or need to change who you are to be her friend. Treat those kids with kindness and respect and find other friends that love you for exactly the person God created you to be. Because you are amazing just as you are.
You don’t need to be perfect. No one is perfect, dear child. You’ve seen Mommy and Daddy make so many mistakes over the years and seen us apologize and try to do better. You don’t need to get every answer correct, read a million books for the read-a-thon, run the fastest mile, paint the prettiest picture, or sing the most beautiful song. What we care about is that you try, give it your best, and have a good attitude as you explore and learn. Not every subject will be your favorite and that’s okay, but be positive as you approach each new lesson because you never know when you will learn something that sparks a lifelong interest. Never be afraid to fail because failing means that you at least tried.
Be your kind, friendly, compassionate self – especially with the kids that might not feel comfortable reaching out to others. When you see someone sitting on the bench at recess, go say hi and ask her to join your game. When you see someone coloring alone, go ask him if you can sit beside him. Your sweet smile and outreach of friendship may mean the world to that kid and you could discover a wonderful person that becomes a lifetime friend.
Share the light that you have inside you. Jesus is walking with you with every step you take. Ask Him to shine through you and be a light to others. Choose to see the good in each situation you face. This doesn’t mean you need to be happy every single moment, even Mommy and Daddy don’t do that, but after you’ve shed your tears, or expressed your frustration, try to see something positive in the disappointment or sad time. We will help you if you want.
We are here for you, no matter what. We want to hear about the exciting and thrilling parts of your day, the hard and frustrating parts of your day, and the regular and simple parts of your day. We want to try to answer your questions and figure out this big world. If you hear about something you don’t understand – ask us! We will do our best to find an answer for you if we can’t answer it ourselves. And don’t believe everything you hear from the other kids. You know how much kids can elaborate stories because you do it to. Learn to question what you hear and see until you have an answer that is right. And simply because lots of people believe something is true doesn’t make it so. Think for yourself and use your voice in a respectful manner to speak true truth.
We love you so much, kiddos. You are incredible and we are thrilled to watch you grow, learn, and adventure during another school year. Go and explore and we will be here ready to give hugs and kisses when you return with a million and one stories.
– Mom and Dad
I’d normally link this up with Kristin for #ThreeWordWednesday but she’s taking some time off. I’m still writing my #ThreeWordWednesday posts though because I like to pause and sum up what God is saying in three words.