Response Essay

A Letter to my Daughter:

As you sleep soundly in my arms, I have come to the realization that you have captivated my heart. I have realized that you will always be the purpose within my life. You are the sole reason as to why I do the things I do. Everything I have done, everything I do and everything I will continue to do; it is all for you. You are my motivation and my inspiration. You are the reason I get up in the morning and strive to be the best I can be. You give me the strength I need to push through the hard times and you are forever giving me a reason to smile through them. Every day I find myself falling more and more in love with you; with every smile, every giggle and even every tantrum, you capture my heart. The very first time our eyes met, when your crying suddenly stopped, my heart felt as if it was swelling to the point of it being painful. It felt it was going to burst through my chest. I still get that feeling every time you look at me with those sweet baby blues. I can see the love you have for me as your mother and I hope you will never lose that look; that look of absolute admiration and adoration, the look as if I am the only person in the world to you. That look is what keeps me going. It gives me feeling as if the wind is knocked right of me and for a few seconds, I forgot to breathe. It is like nothing else on this planet matters but you, for you are all I see. Without you; I don't know who I would be or where I would be. Every day, you test me and my patience. You have shown me things about myself that I didn't know and you have made me do things that beforehand, I thought were impossible. Every day you teach me something new. Being your mother, you have taught me to be more kind and more understanding. You have given me so much; much more than you'll ever know. You are my biggest strength and my greatest weakness. But that is the blessing of being your mother. I have learned about strengths I didn't know I had and I have discovered fears that I never knew existed. You are constantly on my mind, with every thought I have, you are right there. I fear for the days when you are a teenager, because I know how cruel the world can be and how hard things can become. But always know, I will forever be by your side, always ready to catch you if you are to fall. Life as a woman can be rough. You are going to suffer from a broken heart and it will probably happen more than once. Although, don’t let it turn you cold. Always have your heart open and a smile on your face, because you never know who you will meet. Love yourself, for no one can love you before you do. Embrace your flaws and your imperfections, for they are what make you, you. Remain open-minded so you don’t miss something that could ultimately change your life. Speak only kind words, for you never know what someone else is dealing with. Trust your gut instinct, for it is generally always right. Listen to what others say and take it in, but never lose your own voice.  Stand up for what you believe is right, even if you are standing alone. If you manage to do all of this, then I have done something right. Now there are going to be days where you will hate me and think I am your enemy, but I promise you, those will be the days that I am just trying to do what I think is best. Like you, I am still growing and will more than likely make mistakes along the way, but I hope you will be able to understand and forgive me. I just want you to live the best life you could possibly live. I want to give you world and I want to show it to you. I want your dreams to be big and I want you to chase them; even when you are doubted. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, not even me. For you can be whatever you set out to be, you can do whatever you want to do and you can accomplish anything. I will forever be in your debt, for you have made my life worth living. Having you as my daughter is forever having my heart go walking around outside of my body. My love for you will remain unconditional and I will forever make that known, especially at the times when you least deserve it. 

That is the love of motherhood; the love that I hold for my daughter. No love can ever match that type of love. It is an emotion that needs to be felt, not told, to understand it completely. I will never lose that love.