Welcome to the “Love Letter” series!
If this is your first visit…be sure to check out Letter #1 and Letter #2.
Otherwise, thanks for coming back to read another letter. Here is #3.
My Little Love,
I can’t deny it. I look at you every day and wonder if you will be anything like me throughout the course of your life. Questions flood my mind . Will you…
look like me?
act like me?
be as stubborn as me?
have a raspy voice like me?
ask a million questions like me?
sing all the wrong words to songs like me?
sing all the wrong words to songs like me?
Thinking about what you will be like is both exciting and frightening. It will be fun to see if you talk really fast with a Chicago accent like me or speak with a slight hint of a drawl like your dad. You may become more extroverted and chatty like me or laid back and observant like your dad. There are many traits that, as your parents, we won’t mind passing down to you. It will be fun to see ways you take after us. But, there is one specific aspect in which I hope you are different than me.
I hope you learn to appreciate and welcome change.
While I consider myself a risk taker in certain areas of life, I tend to shy away from moments that require change. I thrive on the familiar. Predictability is overrated, yet I always seem run toward it. I avoid change at all costs. I have always resisted it. I allow fear of the unknown to overtake. I make things a whole lot bigger in my head than need be. I create scenarios about how things will turn out before they ever happen. When it comes to change, I freeze….then turn…then run…and hope it doesn’t find me. Wishful thinking, bud. Change is something that will be a part of everyday life and it is a GOOD and NATURAL thing.
As your mom, I want you to always remember the importance of this word. There will be monumental changes in your lifetime, along with seemingly insignificant ones. Big or small, they are necessary and important.
Here are just a few things I hope you will understand:
CHANGE…..
IS INEVITABLE
It happens to everyone. No matter how hard you may try, you can’t avoid it. You will encounter moments when you feel the urge to resist it. DON’T. Growing up, change will happen ALL. THE. TIME. Sometimes, you will let go of friendships and then make new ones. You will switch teachers, grade levels, or even schools. You may move away. You will join different teams and groups. Many times, you will be placed in an environment you aren’t used to. This is all perfectly normal. Change doesn’t just happen to you. It happens to everyone. It’s all about how we learn to deal with it.
CHALLENGES YOU
Change doesn’t come easy for everyone. It can be very hard at times. It might be scary and may not always involve the simple or direct route. Change may challenge you to wait, be patient, listen, sit back and watch, or give something time. You may have to give up things…things you love. You may have to invest a lot of energy. When it occurs, you usually find yourself outside of your comfort zone. Change helps you become more reliant on God. You will realize that you can’t face changes without his help and guidance. It is impossible to bear the pain that sometimes comes with change. Change may seem daunting or too hard to handle when it first appears, but it is often necessary and for the better! It can make you more aware of your mistakes and help you not to make the same ones again. Change can create hardships, but you will always come out of a situation wiser and stronger.
REQUIRES RISK
A lot of times, it is about taking a leap of faith. You may not always have the answers to what lies ahead. That is the beauty of change. You never have it all figured out. Life WILL throw you curveballs. Change helps us embrace the unexpected. It allows us to savor spontaneous moments. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and open to new ideas. Living within your comfort zone makes you feel safe. Life isn’t about playing it safe. Life is about experiencing new things and taking risks. Change requires risk.
CREATES OPPORTUNITIES
New doors are opened when change takes place. Opportunities you never deemed possible will present themselves. Change can bring you to new places. It can help you achieve your dreams. It can break bad habits. It can allow you to forgive and open up your heart again. It can help you to move on and experience life the way you deserve! Without change, we remain stagnant in our ways. The more you resist change, the less apt you are in reaching your full potential.
INCREASES AWARENESS
You become more appreciative and grateful for what is and what isn’t. Change in life, whether good or bad, reminds you to count your blessings and become more aware of what is truly important. It helps you to shift your priorities to what matters. You will become more patient. You will become more understanding. You will become more independent. Change helps unravel truths about yourself…the way you communicate, how you relate to others, the manner in which you face adversity, and so forth.
HELPS YOU GROW
Change humbles you. It opens your eyes to those hurting around you. It allows you to empathize with people. Change has the amazing ability to stretch your thinking and show you what you’re capable of.
Becoming your mom has been the biggest change of my life so far. So much is different. I am not the same person I was before I had you. I have been profoundly impacted and will be forever grateful for this change. You help me become a better person every single day. You are helping me grow into the mother I’ve hoped and aspired to be. Change is something I am beginning to accept more freely and willingly because of you.
Ethan, you have been and always will be, the best CHANGE in my life.
LOVE,
MOM
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