I Hope You Always Know It’s Okay

To my children,

I hope you always know it’s okay.

It’s okay to not be the most popular kid in the class.

It’s okay to not make the team.

It’s okay to not get the best grade on the test.

It’s okay to have moments when you’re uncertain of who you are, or what you believe, or how you fit in.

It’s okay to question and doubt. It’s part of learning and growing.

It’s okay to stand up for what you believe in, even when it’s not comfortable, or goes against the grain.

It’s okay to say no, and sometimes the most important word you can use.

It’s okay to have boundaries and limits, and the sooner you know what those are, the better.

It’s okay to take a day off and do nothing just because your body and mind and heart and soul need rest.

It’s okay to be the last one to complete a test.

It’s okay to admit you are wrong.

It’s okay to be your own person. That’s who God created you to be.

It’s okay to be the first to say “I’m sorry”.

It’s okay to decline an invitation just because you don’t feel like it, even if you don’t have anything else you have to do.

It’s okay to cry buckets of tears when your heart is breaking.

It’s okay to try new things and go on adventures and follow your dreams to wherever they may take you.

It’s okay to be different.

It’s okay to take long naps in the middle of the day.

It’s okay to not have a perfect house or a perfect body or a perfect car or perfect children – or perfect anything, really. Because perfection does not exist, and chasing it is exhausting.

It’s okay to say “I don’t know”.

It’s okay to be you. In fact, that’s more than okay.

Just keep being you, my sweet child. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and try your best. Some days are harder than others, and some seasons feel downright impossible, while others are filled with laughter and joy.

In whatever you face, I hope you know it’s okay. You are going to be okay. You can do hard things and get through hard things.

Remember to always be kind. And that your mother loves you with a love that is not describable with words.

To my children – I hope you always know it’s okay.

And whatever you may face in life, for as long as I am living and breathing – I am here for you. To cheer for you and root for you and to help encourage you, even when your world doesn’t feel okay.

I love you.

Always.

Love,

Mom