Before graduation from the University of Iowa, my daughters' sorority held an event for their seniors and asked their parents to write a letter. I found this on my computer today when I was looking for something work related. I think it bears repeating:
Dear Emma:
In my mind it goes without saying that you should know how proud your father and I are of you. But then I realized it never hurts to remind the people in your life of things you think should be obvious.
I had a job once that did written evaluations and the highest mark was “exceeded expectations”. As my daughter you have more than exceeded expectations. I had no idea how much you could love another person until you were born. You have always been, and I’m sure will continue to be, a leader, a compassionate person, self reliant, able to put things into prospective, and have the ability (I like to think you got from me) to see the humor in most situations. These are qualities that will serve you well in life.
We have weathered some life altering experiences. I would like to think we have done it with grace. Please never lose the faith that no matter what happens in life, it will pass, the pain will soften and wonderful and challenging things lie ahead. In life there will always be pain, but there will always be joy.
I wish I could close with some incredibly insightful piece of information that I had neglected to tell you thus far in your life. So I will leave you the all encompassing, “don’t dive into shallow water”. I love you Emma, you are one of the two greatest blessings in my life.
Love, Mom
