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Dear Jack,
I have written you many letters in my head, and it is time to start putting them to paper to be safely kept for you. We have learned countless lessons in our life together, and it is my job to interpret them for you as we grow in this world. My mother deciphered life moments and lessons for me, and it is now my chance to do this for you. I stumble sometimes upon the notes and messages my mother has left me, and they bring me great comfort and surprise me in the moments that I happen to be seeking guidance.
Jack, you are about to enter kindergarten. A new journey will soon begin. I have so many words to give you, but really just a few that matter right now. First, change. Familiarize yourself with this fact of life. Expect it always in order to enrich your life with the present. Today is all that matters. I have wished away so much time, waiting for the next thing, and have missed out on experiences that have now passed. Very few things are constant in this world; events pass, leaving you with the tools to champion the next piece of your life. You will find friends come and go. We may move houses or change jobs. We may grow and discover changes both inside and outside of ourselves. No matter what happens, one thing is for certain, my beautiful Jack: You are not alone, and I will guide you through all the different pieces of your life.
My next word is love. Perhaps the greatest gift I will give you is the ability to fall deeply in love with yourself. I am ever-learning how to love myself more deeply each day, and as I do, I find happiness. Jack, I must tell you, you will confront a saddening amount of hate in the world. Your weapon against this is your love. It will shine upon this negativity and muffle, even sometimes silence, such pain. In doing so, you will be a teacher to others who were not as loved as you. Within those instances of change, that I told you would ultimately come, love yourself and others as I love you, and discover the peace and acceptance that is left with you.
My last word is acceptance. Accept the world as it is, and do not anguish over that which cannot be altered. First, accept yourself as you are. Remember my words of self-love. Love yourself totally, and do not seek to change anything. A gift I ask you to give to others is to accept them as they are. Allow whatever it is they need to do in order to get through their day to find their own happiness. This acceptance, I promise you Jack, will draw you closer to others. I have faced people who wish to impose their own ideas of how my life should go, and it has only separated me from them. For those who have allowed me to be me, I find they are my dearest friends.
My beautiful Jack, all that I have said to you, you have already encountered. I watch others in awe as you navigate your world. You do it with love and acceptance in this ever-changing world. In doing so, you challenge others so much older than you, to be better. You are this little boy turning people’s heads. I love you deeply, my Jack, and accept all that you are. Please do not change.
I love you forever,
Mama
