Mother to Daughter:

Dear Emmy,

This book may not seem like much, but I tried to fill it with my love for you. Even when we are not together, I hope you realize I’m always with you. And maybe just once in awhile you’ll look through this book and pictures and remember how very, very much you are loved. To the moon and back, again and again.

Love, Mom.

-----

“My first memory of you is….”

When you were born and placed in my arms, all of the emotions that I felt as I held you, you were so perfect and beautiful with your head full of blonde hair, ten fingers and toes, how I just knew that my life had been forever changed as my love for you overwhelmed me. My life is such a better place because of you and the love you bring to it grows every day.

“One of my favorite things about you is…”

Your free spirit, how you are not afraid to go against the flow of things, not really caring about the way others may think, the way you stand up for what you think and believe, even when it’s not what ‘everything’ and ‘everyone’ is doing! I also love your sense of humor, the way you can always make me laugh, sometimes just a look or a single word, as we share a joke that only we understand.

“One of the most fun times I have ever had with you was…”

When we took you to see Nsync and afterwards you just gushed repeating all of your favorite partsw, and watching your love for music grow from there. I’ve loved sharing concerts with you, the ‘oldies’ and ‘newbies’, it’s always fun even if I don’t always share your taste. I, too, have loved sharing Arrowhead with you, an experience like no other - bot most of all, I love when we just ‘hang out’ doing nothing, just spending time together, which I will treasure in my heart forever!

“The most proud of you I have ever been was…”

Ah, there are so many, like when you told your kindergarten teacher you could spell ‘banana’ when all she wanted was ‘at’, going to JBA, learning ALL the words to Mary Jane’s Last Dance, figuring out you could parallel park, and getting your license, getting accepted to Mizzou, getting sent to the principal weeks before graduating, getting your diploma. But the proudest moment was when you finally had enough of your Uncle D and pulling the plug on the television and game.

“My biggest hope for you in the future is…”

For you to always grab the stars and reach for the moon, that you find happiness in all you do and that you never stop dreaming (and writing!), but most of all, I hope that some day you have a child who brings you as much love, joy, happiness, and pride as you’ve brought into my life.