Love Letter to My Daughters
Ultimately, we empower our children by listening to them. We empower them by encouraging their passions. We empower them by loving them. And as difficult as it can be, we empower them by setting them free.
Ultimately, we empower our children by listening to them. We empower them by encouraging their passions. We empower them by loving them. And as difficult as it can be, we empower them by setting them free.
"The years are short. It all goes by in a blink. Mindful attention is helpful for fully appreciating each fleeting moment. Extreme loss brings a greater awareness of impermanence. Sometimes the mishaps are the things we remember later with laughter. Sometimes the mistakes are what change the course of our lives."
Children easily say, “I love you”—to people, horses, dogs, cats, trees, and hamsters. If they fall and get bruised, they keep going. A skinned knee calls for a hug, a kiss, and a Band-Aid, and then they are off and running again. Children don’t stop playing because they once fell. They splash in the water, climb trees, and ride bicycles with gleeful abandon. And sometimes, while lying in bed, they wonder why grown-ups fight so much or why grown-ups get so mad all the time or why grown-ups argue about things that make no sense. Rather than teaching our children, perhaps we can spend some time, today, learning what children most want us to know: How to be happy, in this moment.
Listen closely, quietly. Place your hand over your heart. Can you feel your heart beating? Here is what the heart knows: Music, laughter, family, love, dancing.