Dear Eleanora and Charlotte,
A little over a year ago, a dear friend of mine passed away unexpectedly, leaving her precious babies to navigate life without their mama. When each of you were born, my greatest fear became losing you, until I considered an even deeper fear: that you might lose me, while you are still small and vulnerable and very much in need of your mama. I hope and pray that never happens to us, my sweet girls. But while we are here together, appreciating the preciousness of life, there is something that is essential for me to tell you.
At the moment I gave birth to you, I also gave life to a love which came from within me, but which began to exist outside of me, as a bubble floats into the air.
But unlike a bubble, my love is neither fragile nor ephemeral. It can never be broken, diminished, or destroyed. It cannot die with me. And so you must know this:
When I am someday called away from this life, that love I created for you will still exist in the world.
My love will expand with each daily sigh of the humble earth, and it will do what I cannot: it will live forever.
My love will surround you and your children, and even your children’s children.
The world will know I was here because my love will still be here, still growing, still doing the important work.
So no matter what, I’ll be loving you always.
But not to worry, little ones. It is my full intention to embarrass you throughout your teenage years, to terrorize your father by repeatedly going over budget when you and I plan the weddings of your dreams, and to feed your children loads of chocolate and skip their naps when I come over to babysit.
All the while, I will be loving you.
Then, when all those days have come and gone, when centuries have turned like pages in a book, and we are no longer even anyone’s memory but rather only faint imprints on the genes of our distant descendants, my love will still be here, still growing, still doing the important work. And I will still be loving you.
I’ll be loving you, always.
Happy Valentine’s Day,
