My Dearest Daughters,

How I wish I could possibly express my pride for the accomplishment you have both reached today.  It is one that was never given to you as an option, but a requirement, yet there are so many in this world, for many different reasons, who are unable to achieve what you just have.  For never giving up, even when you may have wanted to, I am eternally proud of you.

How I also wish that I could possibly find the words that will prepare you for the journey on which you are about to embark.  The “real world.”  It’s not always a pleasant place.  Please stay in college, if only because it will help you avoid said “real world” just a little bit longer.

You are going to be challenged.  You are going to leave people you have known your entire lives.  You are going to meet new people that you will know for the rest of your lives.  You are going to meet people you like, people you love, and people you may even hate.  Learn from all of them.  They are on your path for a reason.  Look for the lessons from their presence in your life.

You are going to experience things that will open your eyes to new ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and curiosities.  Explore them all but do so with the morality and ethics that you carry deep within your heart, that can never be taken from you.  Be courageous in your choices but be smart in your decisions.  Some of them can follow you forever.

You are going to learn new things about yourself, the world around you, and about life.  Hopefully you will learn how precious it is, how much honor it deserves and how easily it can be taken from us.  Hopefully you won’t learn that through experiencing tremendous pain and loss.

You are going to make mistakes.  It’s a part of life and growth.  Your failures will teach you more than your successes, so do your best to learn from them the first time and try not to repeat them. Don’t beat yourself up over making them, even when you knew better.  You will not get anywhere with regret.

You are going to think you know what’s best for yourself.  You don’t.  There are people who are older and wiser and have walked where you’ve walked.  In some cases, they’ll know better. But they aren’t you.  You are the only one responsible for your choices, so learn to trust your intuition over your mind. 

Try to remember that your 20-year-old self is going to see the world differently than your 30-year-old self, your 40-year-old self, and your 50-year-old self will see it.  That’s perfectly normal, but your older self will be carrying along the baggage that you brought with you from your younger years.  Think about the things you keep deep within you and what you really want to bring along with you for the ride. It’s easier to let things go that no longer serve you the moment you realize it, rather than later down the road when they’ve been attached to your soul for decades.

You only get one body.  Treat it well.  Don’t be destructive to the temple you were given by God. I had to care for mine while yours grew inside me, and you will have to do the same one day for your own children. Be healthy, physically and mentally. Treat your body with respect. It has to last you your entire lifetime.

You are going to have days where you want a do-over. You get one every morning.  You can always make changes in yourself and in your life.  It’s never too late to do that.  But know this… There’s no such thing as a clean slate.  No matter how much you change about yourself, you will always carry the choices, decisions, loves, hurts, mistakes, heartbreaks, joys, sorrows, lessons and scars from your past.  Be careful with your own history trail.

Lastly, and most importantly, you are going to face the day when you will say the words, “I’d give anything to be able to talk to my mother right now.”  I hope that day is a very long time from now.  In the meantime, know that until I have taken my very last breath, I love you and I am always here for you.  Please utilize this gift while you have it.  You may think you have plenty of time, but we just don’t ever know that.  Allow me to share, witness, experience and relish in the accomplishments of your life, and take my unconditional love while I am here to give it to you.  If I could go back in time to my 18-year-old self and give her any one piece of advice, it would be that. 

I love you with all my heart, and I am so proud of you today.  I can’t wait to see all the places you’ll go.

Love,

Mom