Sometimes, I find myself completely captivated by you in the most unexpected moments.
It’s that gentle way you rise each morning, your hair a delightful mess—just like mine—snuggled under blankets that hug you tight, your little feet bare on those beloved Disney sheets.
It’s the pure gaze you cast my way, untouched by the makeup you might one day plead for, and my heart aches a little knowing you don’t see the beauty I see in you.
It’s when I catch you sprinting across the garden, laughing with your brother, your bodies free and joyous, blissfully unaware of the self-doubt that will inevitably creep in as you grow.
In those fleeting moments, dear Emily, I see a young girl blossoming into someone astonishing, replacing the little baby who once fit so perfectly in my arms—the baby who shifted everything in my life. Each time I witness this transformation, it takes my breath away.
I often wonder when you will first start to consider your appearance through the lens of others. When will you start adjusting your clothes, shifting this way and that in front of a mirror that won’t reflect the beauty I perceive?
I ponder when you will frown that first fateful frown that so many women wear, becoming your own harshest critic, dismissing my genuine compliments with a roll of your eyes.
But Emily, I mean it when I say you are beautiful, truly.
You might style and shape, diet and preen, possibly even add a little glitter (if that’s still a thing—excuse me if I’m showing my age), but to me, you will always be the most breathtaking sight I have ever seen.
You inspire awe and wonder in me, just like the moment you were placed on my chest, wailing and wriggling, and I gasped in recognition, as if we were long-lost friends reuniting.
Sometimes, I simply watch you in awe. I realize this might sound a bit odd, but I can’t help it; it’s a mother’s instinct. It’s nearly impossible not to feel a little unhinged when your heart is walking around outside your body in this world filled with challenges.
I marvel at everything about you—from that unique freckle on your leg, to how you tuck your hair behind your ears, to the focus you have while coloring.
Occasionally, the intensity of my love for you surprises me, requiring me to hold back a little, stepping into the shadows to keep my emotions in check. I can’t help but remember that I cried at your kindergarten graduation, feeling overwhelmed at the thought of the years ahead with you and your siblings. It’s going to be quite a journey.
I want to capture the beauty I see in you—the way you leap and run, the peacefulness in your sleep, the hugs you give me without a second thought. I wish I could bottle it all up for the day you start measuring yourself against others—to compare yourself to women, through the eyes of boys, or against your own tough standards.
I wish I could present you with the world’s largest mirror, one that reflects the incredible person I see. I want to urge you to look and recognize the strength, sensitivity, intelligence, kindness, and every quirk that makes you uniquely you.
Because, my dear Emily, you are so stunning, even if one day you might struggle to believe it.
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In summary, my sweet Emily, amidst the journey of growing up and self-discovery, always know that you are an extraordinary individual, filled with beauty both inside and out.