My wish for you

Ella,

You're one!  You've conquered your first year lived here on this earth.  In recent weeks, I've been doing some thinking about the future.  I don't know, maybe it's because I'm all inspired by my latest read authored by the one and only Oprah (of course).  (Find out who Oprah is here.)  I've been thinking about my wish for you, and what I need to do to improve myself in order to be a good example.

In order to not lose sight of these wishes and hopes, I thought I'd note them here.  For you.  On your first birthday.

My wish for you is...

to smile and ask "how are you?" to anyone who's of service to you.

that you feel completely and totally confident eating in a restaurant by yourself.

you never feel defined by a salary.
you always take the extra minute to put your shopping cart away.

that you always hold the door open for the elderly (they'll make your day as much as you make theirs).

you find a mentor and cherish him/her.

you find joy in buying new fabric softener and folding laundry. 
you choose to have a relationship with God because you choose to, not merely because you're a product of Catholic parents.
you find irreplaceable lifelong friends. 
that everybody will be seen as somebody in your eyes.
you choose your own path for your own reasons.
you don't wait for a time in your life to "give back", but instead to always give.

Parents have a million wishes and hopes for their children.  These are just a few of mine for you.  My wish for myself is to be the person who will guide and teach you as best as I can.  I'm a broken human, so I'm sure there will be many times where I will think I could have done better.  But with the help of your dear Dad, family, and friends, I hope we can give you the best little environment to thrive.

It's been a joy to watch you grow from a beating image on an ultrasound to a wobbling, screaming, little thing.

Here's to one great year and many, many more.

Happy first birthday.

Love,

Mom