To all who have ever been my "chickies"

To my dearest chickies,

Whether you are seven, fourteen, or twenty, I implore you to hear me out. Though I may only be a little bit older I have some wisdom to offer. For I have been where you have been. I have felt what you have felt, and I want to tell you what I wish I would have known.

When the world seems to be ending, I promise you it isn't. Though your heart may hurt or your parents may be mad, the world goes on and those big problems become small. I promise that in years you will have forgotten those things you spent so many hours upset or worried about. So leave them where they are and forget about them.

Instead of wasting time, embrace it. Acknowledge the worry or stress but don't let it overtake you. Live each moment. Enjoy the people you are with when you are with them. Don't let anything get you down, for our lives our precious. You are precious. You have been created and formed by the Almighty God and you are beautiful.

Did you hear that? You are beautiful. You may look in the mirror and only see flaws, but the rest of us? We see your beauty. You were made perfect. You were made in the image of God. And though you long for a man to love you just the way you are (and I promise one day he will come), right now you have friends and family who love you and a God who thinks you are incredible.

I want you to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and realize that you are amazing. Each and every one of you. You girls inspire you. You inspire me to be a better person, to love more, and to embrace my Father more. Each of you means the world to me, no matter the distance between us.

So hear me out. Don't waste time being stressed or worried or sad, for we are alive! We are loved! We are young and have so many chances to have fun, to laugh, and to praise our Heavenly Father. Take it from me. I spent years worrying and stressing only to find that it was not worth it.

Because life is too short and too wonderful to be wasted.

My dear chickies. Whether you are seven, fourteen, or twenty I implore you to hear me.

You have been created for a purpose. Embrace your beauty. Praise your Father often. And live. 

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