What I Would Tell Them

I was checking out a recommended blog and found this posted. I am head over heels in love with it. Granted I don't have children, but I know that when I do I will feel like this exactly. I also have to give a shutout to my mom/dad for raising me and helping me write a good story.

This isn't written by Emily from the blog mentioned above, but the link she has posted for the write of this is broken...I wish I could give due credit as I think this is wonderful.

WHAT I WOULD TELL THEM:
(If I knew what to say.)
You are a miracle.
And I have to love you this fiercely: So that you can feel it even after you leave for school, or even while you are asleep, or even after your childhood becomes a memory.
You’ll forget all this when you grow up.
But it’s okay.
Being a mother means having your heart broken.
And it means loving and losing and falling apart and coming back together.
And it’s the best there is.
And also, sometimes, the worst.
Sometimes you won’t have anyone to talk to.
Sometimes you’ll wonder if you’ve forgotten who you are.
But you must remember this: What you’re doing matters.
And you have to be brave with your life so that others can be brave with theirs.
And nurturing the good in this world is nothing short of a privilege.
That’s why I have to love you this way.
So I can give what I have to you.
So that you can carry it in your body and pass it on.
I have watched you sleep.
I’ve kissed you a million times.
And I know something that you don’t, yet:
You are writing the story of your only life every single minute of every day.
And my greatest hope for you, sweet child, is that I can teach you how to write a good one.

The parts highlighted really pull at my heart. I can't tell you the times I have woken up (and gone to bed) and wonder if I have any idea who I am, or if I have forgotten. The more and more I have these thoughts the more and more I have pushed myself to define what makes me...me. Which also requires me to be brave. It is hard to go out into the world and grow up. If I panic about being on the other side of the country, away from my family, my nephew, my friends, I am sure everyone else feels the effects of that. Which benefits no one involved. "You must remember this: what you are doing matters"are such beautiful words. And while I instantly jumped to relating these to my work, as I sit here pondering these beautiful words I see more now that what I am doing isn't just work, but it is who am I am, day in and day out. How I treat others. How I behave in my relationships. How I represent my family. How I love. How I deal with my emotions. What I do with myself each and every minute. But it all matters. It all is inextricably linked to others, and that is a powerful thing to remember.

I am sure I have no idea the overwhelming sense of love that comes with having a child. I am overwhelmed with the love I have for my nephew, and he isn't even my kid! But I am sure I would tell my kids that no matter what anyone says or does or makes them feel they are always loved and were made to be perfect in their own right. I'd also tell them about how tiny they were, since that seems to boggle my mind. Tiny feet and tiny hands that grow up and do amazing things. What would/do you tell your kids?