Gift of Family
Dear Ashilyn,
Last Christmas Eve, your parents gave me a gift I will always treasure. They invited me to be your godmother. It's a tremendous honor to be entrusted with a child's heart and I hope I will do justice to the task. I was so happy to hear that you'd been born yesterday, and happier still that in a few weeks I will actually be holding you in my arms, something I had not anticipated being able to do. I'm sorry I'll be so far away from you most of the time, but these are modern days and we have so many choices for staying close when you are a little older.
Your mother told me my role was to develop a loving relationship with you, and to be someone you could come to for love and counsel. Loving you is easy, and I began the very day I was invited to be your godmother. I'm not exactly known for my advice, unfortunately. Your parents are much better at that than I am. However, there is one bit of counsel I can give you and I know it's wise.
Ashilyn, dear, you are one of the luckiest children I know because you have come to such a special home. My first advice for you is to treasure your family. Very few children have the sort of family you do, so filled with love, wisdom and joy. You have come to a home where you are wanted and cherished. That is not always true for little children, and you are very fortunate that it is true for you. Let me tell you just a little about your family.
Your big brother is a joyful young man who appreciates the wonders of his world. He will introduce you to the uniqueness of the night sky, help you hunt for frogs, and take you back to the world of dragons and knights. With him, you will explore the world and learn to value its hidden pleasures, whether it's the world we live in, or one we can only imagine.
I count it a great honor to be your sister's friend. She's a rare young woman who gives of herself with love to those around her. She's so happy to welcome you, and she takes her responsibility as a role model for you very seriously. If you watch your sister, she will show you how to live in the world with love. She is passionate and caring and I'm glad you will have her as a guide to what is good in the world.
Your father has lived a unique and exciting life and knows how to make dreams come true, a skill that requires courage, sacrifice and hard work. From him, you will learn to shape your life to be all that you can dream. He will serve as a reliable measure for the type of men you invite into your life when you are grown.
Ashilyn, when you are searching for wisdom and for a light to guide your choices throughout life, it is your mother to whom you will want to turn. LeGrand R. Curtis said, "The real measure of our wealth is how much we would be worth if we lost all of our money. That worth depends on how we live, not on what we have." Your mother is one of the wealthiest women I know. Instead of wandering aimlessly, allowing life to just happen, she has taken charge, always with an eye on her always-worthy goals. She knows there are seasons to her life, and she lives according to their needs. She puts others before herself in a quiet way, and you may never know all that she gives up to serve those she loves or how much careful and loving planning has gone into giving you the special life you will have in the years to come. You will never have a better pattern for the woman you want to become than the one right in your own home, the pattern of the way your mother lives her life.
And so Ashilyn, you arrive in this world as part of a great heritage. If you combine your brother's love of the world, your sister's love of people, your father's ability to make dreams reality and your mother's wisdom and service, you will be an amazing young woman.
I look forward to watching you grow up and I am grateful to your parents for giving me a place in your life.
With love forever,
Terrie
