Dear Lilia

Because we often refrain from expressing your deepest, innermost thoughts to those we are closest to, I took this opportunity to voice my sentiments to my precious daughter…..

Dearest Lilia,

This is my love letter to my sweet girl – that’s you! I wanted you to always know how lovely I think you are. You are my “favorite second born” child, the only girl, my teammate, the adventurous one… there are so many ways to describe you and I will share a few examples of what truly makes you lovely.

James 1:17 says: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” You, Lilia, are a gift to me! When I found out we were expecting a daughter, I recall that I had a sense of peace and surety in the Lord that you were my gift to treasure. I know how valuable this gift is because every year more “gifts” of you are revealed.     

From early on I knew you were very assertive. Your personality as a newborn showed me your strength and determination. When you set your mind to something, you jump in and give that very thing your all. You are committed to doing the best of your ability and see it through. There are so many areas and activities that you are able to grasp and improve upon from sports to art to music to academics. You love to try new things and learn.

You are a self-starter who is aware of your environment around you. You look around and see what needs to be accomplished or how to help. You go out of your way to pick up trash to help keep our environment clean. You will put shopping carts in the corral so employees can get them easier and so carts don’t cause problems for drivers. In third grade, you spent almost the entire school year staying after school (up to half an hour each day!) cleaning the classroom. You wanted the janitor to have less work. No one asked you to do this. You are just so keenly aware of others’ needs and you jump right in to lend a hand.

I just adore your humorous side! You see the fun in life and absolutely love to giggle. You take after your dad and can see things from a whimsical view. When you start laughing about something, you can go on for quite some time in merriment. Your laugh may start with giggles and if you find the topic exceptionally jovial, your laugh becomes boisterous. I love to watch you light up with pure joy and it makes life grand to be around this happiness. To find the humor in life is a wonderful quality. Never lose that.

You have empathy and care about others. You do your best to do the kind action. I observe how you see and listen to what people need or want and you take action and give of yourself. You can detect emotions in people and want to lift others up. Even if you are challenged, you still maintain composure and class. You talk through things to solve issues and then move on with wisdom and discernment. You do the right thing.   

Creativity makes you happy and you make me proud. You love to express it in various forms. Pottery, crafts, painting, drawing, fashion, writing, applying makeup, styling hair, home decor, organization, music, hospitality and baking are just some of the modes where you show your creativity. You enjoy detail and give your best effort to do what you envision.

                                            

Family love is important and you are often found taking care of or doing something special for your brothers. We share so many fun ways to express how we love each other. Spaghetti hugs, meatball kisses and Lilia sandwiches are often on the menu! I always want you to know that you are loved, valued and beautiful in every way.

 

You love Jesus. And, Jesus calls you lovely and wonderfully made. You know that Jesus calls us to love and that is why you have chosen to develop a “Love Always” platform as part of this wonderful pageant and for the rest of your life. The scripture that guides you and leads your decisions is “Let all that you do be done in love” I Corinthians 16:14. We have always done things to volunteer and give to others but you have wanted to volunteer more after joining this pageant. You have stepped right up and put all your energy into any place that you have gone to give service.

As you ride the roller coaster of life, I pray that you always know that you are a treasure. Continue to use the gifts that the Lord has given you and continue to love others as you are loved.

Love Always, Mom