Sydney, My Wishes For You.

My dear daughter,
You are now half way through your first year of high school and I am so proud of you.
It is such a fun and exciting time and will only get better and better.  This is also a time that you
begin making more of your own choices and decisions.  Be wise and follow your heart and your head.

You are a beautiful and charming young lady inside and out.

Here are my Wishes for you!

• Do not grow up too fast.
• Come to me with your fears.
• Try new experiences just don’t get in over your head.
• Realize how capable you are
• Your possibilities are endless.
• Your dad is always with you.
•     He loved you more than you will ever know.
• You remind me so much of him, especially your heart and talent.
• Laugh as much as you can.
• I hope your boyfriend will hold your hand, but doesn’t hold on too tight.
• No texting and driving. 
• Be proud of who you are.
• That you never lose sight of your journey with Jesus.
• Dance and sing as often as you can.
• Do great things in your life, but do small things as well.
• Taking charge of your life takes time--and a lot of faith and courage
• BE BOLD.
• You are loved beyond all time.
• So many treasures await you!

Her Favorite Coach in Life.  HER DAD....

My Hero

The alarm clock goes off at 6:30 am.  My first two thoughts are same thing each morning.  Is it already morning and did I just have a bad dream?  The house is very quiet, you see my wonderful husband and father to our beautiful daughters would have already been up and half way ready for work. Lights would have been on and the dogs already eaten and running around in anticipation for the day to begin.  He loved to walk the girls out to the bus stop each morning. Now there is just silence, a huge silence in our house.  The head of our household that meant so very much to each of us left this world too soon.  Our faith tells us he is an a better place but our hearts do not want us to let him go.

We are trying everyday to find a new normal.  So I get up at 6:30 in order to wake my girls up for school.  At that time, my 6th grader comes walking in my room all dressed, she has spiral curled her hair (hair is very important to her) and ready to go to school.  She proceeds to tell me that she has a poem due today in Language Arts and she forgot to type it up.  Needless to say, it is now 6:40 and I am thinking, wow, either something is up and she did not write her poem or I am so proud that she has taken initiative to correct her mistake.  I go and wake up my high schooler and we proceed to tackle a new day.   After everything slows down a little I go in my office to check my emails and there on my desk lies a poem by my youngest daughter.  The poem is titled My Hero.  I read this poem and realize that both the author and the subject are very special people.  I sit there not knowing what to say with tears in my eyes.  She comes in and sees this and immediately asks me, “do you not like it?”  My girls help me heal more each day with their unknowing knowledge and kindness that comes from their love and grace.  I learn something wonderful every glorious day from my daughters.  I know that the Holy Spirit is inside of me and I do my best to listen.  I knew at that point our day was going to be blessed.  We are still trying to find our “new normal” but we are not doing it alone.

My Hero

by Taylor Patterson

My hero is in my heart,

Catching me when I fall,

Helping me choose the right direction.

My hero feeds me when I am famished,

My hero taught me kindness and forgiveness,

My hero let me feel what it was like to have a friend.

I will always miss and love my hero,

My dad is my hero and he will always be.