Dear Mary Elizabeth

Part of the reason I keep this blog is so that I have important things, like recipes I want to re-create, memories about my journey with God and milestones in the life of my children, all in one place.  It is sort of nice knowing that as long as we have the internet, I'll be able to access all of these things.  That being said, some of my entries are definitely more personal than I would normally share but I figure if you care enough about me to read this, you care enough to know my heart.  I wanted to share this letter with my devoted blog followers...both of you.  ;-) 

Parker and I wrote it together for Mary Elizabeth's upcoming baby dedication.  We spent some time and put a lot of thought into it and I'm very proud of it.  In fact, every time I read it, I get tears in my eyes.  But I want to share it on this blog for a few reasons.  First, I thought it was such a great exercise that I would encourage all of my friends to do it for their children, if you haven't already.  Second, in case I ever lose the file, I want to be able to find it here.  And third, I just want to shout from the rooftops so that everyone can hear that I love my daughter with my whole heart.  I hope you enjoy.

(Written September 20, 2011)

Dear Mary Elizabeth,

Tonight, your dad and I are sitting in our home, thinking about and hoping for the day that you come to know Jesus.  You are 9 days shy of 6 months old, sleeping sweetly in your crib and the thought of you growing up literally brings tears to our eyes.  But we know it will come.  In fact, we know that it will probably be here before we know it, in just the blink of an eye.  Before we get to that point, we want to let you know a few things about our hopes and dreams for you, our dear child.

First, always know that you have been a part of God’s plan for our lives from the very beginning.  We wanted you before you were conceived and we loved you before you were born.  Every day that passes, we love you more.

Our prayers for you have always been very simple.  We prayed for a healthy child, a joyful child and we prayed that you would grow up to love the Lord.  These are still the things we pray for, though you are already healthy and VERY joyful!  Our hope is to lead you into a growing relationship with the Savior that your parents both love so dearly, our Jesus Christ.

We also want you to know that we believe one of the best things that we can do for you and any other children that God chooses to bless us with is to give you a mom and dad that love each other.  Our commitment to you is to always put our marriage first, so that you can always get a goodnight kiss from both of your parents.

As you grow up, there are certain values we hope that our family will revolve around.  First and foremost, we believe that the greatest commandment is to love one another as Christ loves us.  We promise to always love you, no matter what.  We also want to instill the importance of integrity, being true to God no matter what.  Third, we hope that you will grow up with great faith, always trusting that God’s will is perfect.  Fourth, we hope to instill a sense of generosity that helps you give without hesitation so that your things and your time do not control you.  Lastly, we hope that you will become a person of respect: someone who respects herself, her parents, her elders and her God.

It is our hope that you always know, above all else, how very much we love you.  That being said, we hope to also teach you that God loves you even more than we do…and that’s a lot!  You are a very blessed little girl to have 2 grandmothers and 2 grandfathers that love you dearly, along with many aunts and uncles that do as well.  We have been praying for you for many years and will continue to pray without ceasing.  We love you so very much our sweet Mary Elizabeth.

Love always,

Mom and Dad