To My Darling Daughter

Like your mother, I'd like to write a letter that captures my heart, my feelings and my love for you. A letter that describes this moment in time. This moment in our lives, in your life, and the events that have led to today. There is so much to say. So much in my heart. So much love, excitement, pride and joy. Yet, at this moment I'm equally filled with apprehension, fear, nerves and doubt. My emotions are raw in nature and limitless in scope. But thus is life, and thus are the emotions that have led to this moment.

When your mother and I first met we were merely kids. Two kids with open hearts, big dreams and active imaginations. Over time we became close friends, and like many friendships we shared in love and constant laughter. It was obvious that we brought joy into each others lives, but we never imagined the eternal joy that was about to unfold. For when we merged our hearts we found infinite love, endless laughter and years of adventure. The last ten years have been an adventure with thrills at every corner, and of course its fair share of spills. But amid our mix of triumphs and tribulations, we have grown together. We've grown into a loving husband and a loving wife, and in just two days (or maybe less), we will grow together again as a loving mother and a loving father. Such is the life that has brought us to this moment. The moment before your arrival. The moment that EVERYTHING has been predicated upon.

The moment that we start our family.

But before I become a father, and before our family arrives into this world, I feel compelled to give you advice. Advice that is based on all my years of life, maturity and wisdom. But the truth is, like you I am still growing. I'm still learning and maturing, and as I write this letter I know in my heart that my advice will one day be antiquated. Replaced with sage advice gained from additional life on this earth. Of that I am certain. So how do I give you, my darling daughter, advice of which to live by, when I know in my heart that my words will one day seem shallow? For this is my struggle.

I'm not a philosopher, nor am I poet. I wish I could explain this world, its heavens and its hells, but I can't. Like my heart, my soul and my spirit, this world cannot be described. It must be experienced. For this world is so dynamic, our emotions and desires so complex, our lives in constant flux.

With that said, I welcome you into this world. A world that MUST be experienced. A world of never ending possibility, endless discovery and mystifying complexity. A world filled with unrivaled beauty, yet entangled with inexplicable horror. A world where fundamental truth is more than philosophical fodder, but an individual and context-specific experience. For it is that multitude of perspectives, the infinite angles of which to view the world, that create its complexity. Therefore, I welcome you into this maze of mystifying complexity and offer you, my darling daughter, my most earnest attempt at universal advice.

To my darling daughter, my loving baby girl, the twinkle in my heart, above all things I wish for you to be blessed with the essence of a loving heart, a pure soul and a soaring spirit. For when you have those three things, you hold the essence of the world inside you. These are things that I cannot give you. You must find them on your own. To find them you must embark on your own journey. A journey that we call life. But I promise, as your father I will give you everything you need to prepare you for that journey.

So darling, I ask that you remain cognitively and emotionally aware of your essence. That is, be aware of your heart, your soul and your spirit. Live your life with a full and loving heart. Share your love with others, and others will share their love with you. For where there is love there is eternal happiness.

Live life with a pure soul and let goodness be your guide. For when your soul is pure so too is your heart, and when your heart is pure, so too is your love.

Follow your spirit throughout your journey, and let it soar as your life unfolds. Along with your soul, let your spirit be your guide. May it give you everlasting inspiration to live life to the fullest, wherever and however you may choose.

The world awaits you my darling, and upon birth you will hold the essence of the world inside you. Be aware of it, listen to it and let it be your guide. The validity of this advice I am certain, and I give it to you with my purest and most everlasting love; the love of a father.