Skip to main content

the beginning of a new journey

tomorrow my oldest girls start kindergarten.

they will venture off into the world of formal education and begin a very special journey. along with learning about letters and numbers and other incredibly important basic concepts, they will begin to learn about the resilience of their character and the strength of their work ethic.

i attempted to share small pieces of advice as they picked out their dresses and started filling their backpacks. as they grabbed their snacks and helped make their signs, i continued to talk about the important things. my advice fell into 4 main categories.

for my girls, as they start kindergarten....

1. be kind.

personally, i feel that being nice is not that hard. it does not take too much commitment. it can last a few seconds and it is sometimes, simply, a sweet gesture at face value. you should be nice, of course, and you should always aim to be polite and make a good impression. but kindness requires a deep heartfelt choice. kindness demands action. kindness asks you to look at the entire scenario and the individual and sometimes kindness will require the hard thing. kindness extends beyond just one nice interaction and, instead, it is about truly investing your time and effort into someone else's life when it is most beneficial. it is about stepping away from the majority to reach out to the one person who is in need. it is about being honest, even when it is difficult, when you know that it will benefit the person with whom you share the truth. kindness is a fruit of the spirit, and it is a lifestyle.

2.  be confident.

remember that you are chosen and special and valued. you have a beauty that is unique, and it flows from the inside out. even if you have to stand alone, but you are sure of your stance, then stand tall and stand proud. no one's words should ever make you doubt your worth or your abilities. you will do great things because of who you are and whose you are. so be confident in your strengths and in the idea that you can overcome obstacles. you are going to succeed in whatever capacity you choose; be confident in that.

3. be a hard worker.

it seems that learning comes naturally to you so far. and i do love watching you learn through different methods and in different subjects. i will admit that there is a sense of pride when i watch you grasp a concept quickly or identify states on our map or memorize facts. but i know that it won't always be that way, and it cannot be that way. there will be times where you will struggle with a concept or an assignment, and you may even question why it is hard for you when it is easy for others. do not even take time to look around and ask that. always put forth your best effort, even when it is more difficult than you would like. trust that hard work is a necessary part of learning and growing and succeeding. please don't try to take the easy way out, and work hard to be proud of whatever you put your name on.

4.  be a joy and a light.

this is innately who you are. this has been my prayer for you since you were born, and it will continue to be well after you have accomplished your dreams.  i hope that you will always be able to shine Love in the dark places and that teachers, classmates, and others who cross your path will smile when they see you and when they speak with you. the world needs girls like you. the world needs people like you. you have a special quality about you, and i want you to embrace that. joy gives people a reason to hope and it reminds them of the good in life. light helps give direction and it illuminates so that we can see our path and step out of the darkness.

so step into this new journey, girls. you have much to learn and much to offer.

whether it is your first day of kindergarten or a graduation years from now, always know that mama is your biggest supporter and i believe in you.

i am so grateful that i get to see what you give to the world.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

gratitude

my short list. i am thankful for God's Love: a Love that is too sacrificial and too remarkable for my human heart to fully contain... and for a Grace and Hope that is too divine and illogical and limitless for my human mind to even begin to fathom. i am thankful for a strong, stubborn man who loves our family with every ounce in him, understanding my quirks and weaknesses, while encouraging me through his quiet gestures and his commitment to responsibility and love.  i am thankful for two little girls -- fierce and loyal and strong-willed and tough and still soft around the edges... for the incredible joy of watching them grow and the unique love that i get to receive and offer daily.  i am thankful for the littlest one being formed in my womb, for the suspense and the excitement and anxiety that she brings with each turn and kick and movement and heartbeat... and for the incredible opportunity to, once again, nurture and carry a child for these months of intima...

The Most Beautiful Mama

My mama has always been beautiful. It is a beauty that is natural and effortless and is the type of beauty that filled my heart with longing when I was a child. I can recall staring at how flawless the even color of her skin was, how adorable the few freckles were on her cheeks, how symmetrical her nose was. I remember thinking how absolutely perfect she looked in a sari, her pleats folded so pristinely, and the tuck of material into her waist seamless and smooth.   I would often feel the softness of my mother’s hands. Hands that had delicate fingers that moved with precision and purpose. Hands that kneaded chapati dough and even held tight to a lawn mower. No matter what she did, her hands were always soft, always welcoming, always beautiful. But she never liked to focus on her own physical beauty. My mother’s true beauty comes from within.  I understood certain aspects of this inner beauty when I was a child. The beauty that comes from her servant’s heart and her wor...

on love

2015 will be a year of penning suggestions, prayers, advice for my girls. on love: love is not something simple. love is complex and it is most definitely worth waiting for. waiting is difficult, but it is necessary because you gain much knowledge and learn many lessons, all the while holding onto your own sense of independence and understanding of your unique place in this world. your daddy says that although it seems incredibly hard to wait for love, once you have it, you will see why it was so important. but, yes, it is hard when you are on the other side. i can tell you, with all honesty and sincerity, that love from a man is not something that you should be rushing towards; you should not move in that direction until you know your own value and your own worth, not until you understand that you are not defined by this world's standards of beauty or success or belonging. love can be once in a lifetime and it should be something that you pray about and fight for and wo...