advice

i came across this single piece of paper in a box of my high school shtuffs that also included such gems as: report cards, class schedules (!), friend's graduation announcements and senior photos, soccer medals from the early 90s, even some grade-A english papers.  anyway, i'm not sure where this came from or why i had it.  maybe my own mother gave it to me.  but, i thought of myself way back then and i know i didn't have a clue what this all meant.  really.  it's only been through motherhood, that i've REALLY understood my own mother's love and dedication to our family.  to me.  to her own mother.  i thought this was too sweet to not share.

a mother's advice to her daughter

be strong.  be intelligent.  smile.  know that beauty has everything to do with how you feel about yourself and nothing to do with looks or other people's opinions.  never do anything just because everyone else is if you believe it's wrong.  always be true to yourself.  expect the best from life and that's what you'll get.  learn from your mistakes and failures.  believe in magic and wish on stars.  love and trust and be compassionate.  make faces.  play in mud puddles.  take bubble baths.  turn off all the lights and watch lightning storms.  dance, laugh, cry, and sing when you want.  read everything you can get your hands on.  stand up for what is right even if you stand alone.  don't allow yourself or people around you to tolerate prejudices of any kind.  don't be afraid to try something new.  do something daring at least once a week.  run through snow drifts.  spin in circles and roll down hills.  pet puppies, hold kittens and talk to babies.  take afternoon naps.  wake up early to watch the sunrise.  never apologize for being a woman or for being yourself.  never forget that i love you more than any other person in the world, no matter how far apart we are, you will always be my daughter.

tear!

i'm SO thankful that the last line of that no longer applies to my mother and i!  so it's generic at times and may apply to even the manliest of men, but really, when you break it down, it's great words for us all to take in.  sometimes, it doesn't have to be so complicated.