To Never Forget

I've been thinking so much about how I am raising my daughters these days.

I want my daughters to know how it feels to help the world, and to know that they have the power to make a difference in it.

I don't want them to think there are obstacles they can't overcome.

I want my daughters to be grateful for all that they have, each and every day of their lives. To know that even though there are wants, they truly have all that they need, and they have more blessings then they could even imagine.

I don't want them to ever obsess over the labels on their clothes or the number of shirts in their closets.

I want my daughters to think back on their childhood and remember the moments when they showed  kindness towards others. When they volunteered. When they made cookies for neighbors. When they prayed. When they loved, and when they were loved in return.

I don't want them to expect things to be handed to them.

I want my daughters to treat others the way they want to be treated, always. (I remind them of this almost every day.) 

I don't want them to think that fighting is ever a way to handle a situation.

I want my daughters to know that there is a great deal of beauty in the world. And that beauty is found within. 

I don't ever want them to judge a book by its cover.

I want my daughters to know that if they work hard and believe in themselves, they can make all of their dreams come true. 

I don't want them to think anything is impossible. 

I want them to know that I will always be here. That there isn't a single thing that they can't tell me. That I am so very proud of them, and that I will love them for who they are, forever. 

Katie, my oldest, is 10. Ella, my youngest, is 6. 

Tonight we volunteered for "Feed My Starving Children" with Katie's Girl Scout troop. The photo above is of both girls, and their dear friend Abbie, at the event. Watching the three of them concentrating hard on the task at hand, and knowing that they understood the importance of what we were doing . . . my heart was full.

These are the things that have been on my mind this summer. 

These are the moments I want them to know. 

And these are the things I hope they never forget.