EmmaLee: A Few Things to Keep in Mind

Dearest EmmaLee,

Happy birthday and welcome to the planet!  This place doesn’t always make sense and I’m sure you’ll know that firsthand as you grow. The beauty of it all is that senselessness can lead to unimaginable magic. Your future awaits you and it is full of promise! For now though, there are a few things that I want you to keep in mind as you begin your adventure on Earth:

1. While it’s nearly guaranteed that you won’t always get along, your sisters will always be there for you.  Hang tight to them. They’ll be your guideposts for the rest of your life.

2. No matter how wrong something goes or how confused you may be, clarity will always be revealed later on. Always.  So keep your grit girl and stay tough.

3. Don’t mind Uncle Mark, he’s harmless, albeit a bit clueless 🙂

4. Your family, immediate and extended, has loved you long before we met you.  They are fiercely loyal and you’re stuck with us all.  And while you’ll grow up amongst a bunch of characters, it’s good for you. It means you’ll be funny because you’ll have all sorts of unbelievable stories. Just you wait!

5.  The best you can do each day is your very best. Somedays it works. Somedays it doesn’t. But hey, at least you tried.

6. If any of your cousins or siblings or uncles or, well, anyone in the family opens with, “Trust me, I know what I’m doing,” run the other way.

7. Learn. You will never think, “Gosh, I wish I knew less or didn’t feel as smart as I am.” Your education is power and your ticket to untold happiness.

8. Legos don’t belong in your nose. Ever.

9. If you hear your mom’s voice in your head- go with what she’s telling you.  She knows a lot more than you realize.

10. You are limitless.

“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you’ve got a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies-“Damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”- Kurt Vonnegut.