My sweet baby girl,
Tomorrow we are making the trip to NY - your first to the North Country - where you will meet lots and lots and lots of your extended family.
My apologies in advance.
Actually, I think you will love your family just as much as they will adore you. You are so very lucky to be blessed with such a well-rounded, diverse group of people in your life. It wasn't until I was grown and had the experience to spend time with the families of my friends that I realized just how amazing it was to be raised in a group of 21 cousins and three crazy brothers. And it's not about the numbers, either. Whether you have five cousins or twenty, if yours are only half as awesome as the ones your mother has, you will be a little girl who never wants for a playmate on a family vacation or a funny story to share about "this one time." (And, honestly, your cousins already show all the signs of being just as awesome. I'm actually a little worried about how much "this one time" kind of trouble Sierra might be able to lead you all into...)
It's funny to think that not all families are like ours. A family that gets together at Christmas or a random Sunday to bust out the guitars or the tambourines or the ukuleles or the karaoke machines and sing and laugh and drink and eat and sing some more together. There isn't much to regret about your life, Sadie, but if there is one thing that will weigh heavily on me over the next few years it is that we don't live closer to your cousins and aunts and uncles and great aunts and uncles and, perhaps most importantly, your grandparents.
You have many years ahead to forge your own relationships and memories with these special people -- including your father's family who are just as amazing -- but I did want to share with you just a bit more about your grandparents. They all have so much to teach you, and without knowing it, so much of your personality will be shaped by them. If I could handpick those traits, I would, but know that no matter which quirks and talents you inherit, you are blessed to have four amazing people in your life who will love you and support you without any conditions.
So which traits would I choose? Well...
From your Grandpa Jeff, I hope you learn to laugh. And not just at the funny things in life, but even the sad things and the upsetting things. Your Grandpa Jeff is able to find the humor in just about any situation, and I hope you are not afraid to laugh louder or harder or longer than anyone else at the table. Just like him.
From your Grandma Jen, I hope you learn to run -- not just in the physical sense of the word, but also in the way you approach life. I hope you run towards new goals and set new personal bests for yourself every day. I hope you have the energy and the drive to wake up at 5 a.m. on a cold April morning and swim laps in an outdoor pool before taking a "quick" 6-mile run around the neighborhood so you can be to work by 8. And I hope you do it all while smiling. Just like her.
From your Grandpa David, I hope you learn to love learning. To read non-fiction books and passionately share the last paragraph with the person sitting in the armchair beside you -- stranger or not. I hope you approach every situation with an open and inquisitive mind and never worry that you don't know as much as the person next to you. Ask as many questions as you want and try as many new hobbies or interests or musical instruments as you will. Just like him.
Lastly, from your Grandma Karen, I hope you learn grace. This is so important, Sadie, and I pray that it is instilled somewhere in you without you ever having to try for it. I hope you learn to be compassionate and sympathetic without compromising your own integrity, and I hope you are able to approach every situation with the delicateness and empathy that it requires. I hope you write thank you notes even for the most simple of gifts, and I hope you mean every word you say or write. It will make it so much easier to get back up when you fall, and to repair any wrongs you may make. And, as a bonus, you will never have to *try* to make anyone like you. They will already love you for being so warm and honest and sincere. Just like her.
Happy three months, from your mother, and from all your family. We love you to the moon and back.
Love,
Mama
