Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Broken

I wish I could tell you...

You are beautiful.

You are smart, you are worthy, and you can do anything.

You are kind, sweet, and generous.

You are funny, you are brave, and you are strong.

I wish I could tell you these things, and they could make a difference. I wish when you were a baby, a child, a teenager, a young adult, that you heard these things, and that you knew they were true.

I wish...

 That you were happy.

I wish that you were not in pain, that you were not coming apart inside, that you were healthy.

I wish that the child I knew who had so much potential knew that she had it too.

I wish my tears for you would turn into magical words that could make the difference between saving you, and watching you fade away.
Photo courtesy of Photobucket

Someone I love so much has had a horrible thing happen, is in a terrible place, has had a life, set for failure from the beginning, and she is broken. My heart is aching for her and I love her so much. I know, from being broken myself, that nothing can repair you except yourself. I can’t help but wish that I could call in a favor, hand in a “free pass” card, and make it all better, take it all away, pass on some strength, some perspective, some hope.
I am reminded that our words and our actions have power. So much power that they can destroy a life, take away a childhood, cripple an emotion, wound a heart, darken a soul. I am reminded that this blessing of being a parent is so much more than feeding and clothing and providing warmth on a cold night. It is about telling your daughter that she has worth, that her voice is beautiful when she sings, even if she cannot carry a tune. It is about teaching your son that baseball can be fun and it is not always about hitting a home run. I am reminded that parenting is about lifting your children up and not putting them down, not caring if the books and the experts tell you not to rock your babies to sleep, you just do it because it works. I am reminded that being a parent is about being their mentor, and most importantly, living a life that shows them, you respect yourself, you respect them, and you respect the people you love.

This blessing of being a parent means that above all, your child needs to be loved, to be nurtured. It doesn’t mean we always get it right, that we are perfect, or that we are untouchable.  It simply means that we are here, to lead the way, to encourage them to have dreams, and ask them, how can I help make your dreams come true? It is the absolute power we hold; in making them aware that they are precious. No matter what, they are precious.




2 comments:

  1. Beautiful words Tannis. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you for taking the time to read :) Have a beautiful day.

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