My sweet one,

you will always be my little girl.

When your smile draws me in and replaces my fears with hope, all I can do is turn my face to the sky and feel blessed.

When your sweet giggle embraces me with warmth, wraps me up in love and replaces all of my doubts with confidence, all I can do is rest my head and allow blessings to consume every part of me.

It’s you, my sweet one, who changed my life.
And you will always be my little girl.

Even when you are craving independence as a toddler stomping around...
you will always be my little girl.

Even when you are running around the house, proud as can be for one of your many “firsts”...
you will always be my little girl.

Even when the yellow bus pulls up for the first time...
you will always be my little girl.

Even when you cry from feeling excluded and cry tears of not understanding...
you will always be my little girl.

Even when hormones and time alone in your room take over...
you will always be my little girl.

Even when cartwheels, skipping and holding hands, on the street, comes to an end...
you will always be my little girl.

Even when your own car keys replace the carpool...
you will always be my little girl.

Even when college applications and essays replace coloring books and swinging high in the sky...
you will always be my little girl.

Even when the place you call home is now miles away...
you will always be my little girl.

Even when you gaze in awe at your little one, holding onto each precious moment and feeling an abundance of blessings fall upon you...
you will always be my little girl.

My sweet one, no matter how old you are, whether I gaze at you with skin so pure and pudgy hands wrapped around mine, or see years of life within your eyes, behind soft wrinkles...

you will always be my little girl.

And all I can do, is turn my face to the sky and feel blessed.