LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER FROM PRISON

My Darling Daughter,

Although your care givers have once again cruelly cut you off from communicating with your loved ones, they cannot shut down my blog… So, I wanted to just remind you how much I love you and that you have grandparents, an aunt and uncle, and plenty of cousins that are all here loving you from a distance. We all love you unconditionally for exactly who you are. We are all so proud of the young lady you have become and although you cannot hear us cheering, we are all die-hard fans for you and your success.

In all the writing that I do, so much of it is with you in mind. I know you realize I drop Easter eggs saying things that only you would get. When you were born, I was overwhelmed with my love for you. The world stood still and the only breath that mattered was yours. That stands true today. So instead of dropping hints, dying to communicate with you, I decided to just write to you and publish it so I know it cannot be kept from you, or thrown away like the rest of the letters I write and send to you.

I want to tell you a story I read recently and all I could think of was you. I was reading a Cindy Trimm book called “Push” and I am pretty sure she disclosed the author of this story as unknown. I could not help but relate this story to you and I thought it was something you would like to hear. I do not have the book anymore and I do not remember the exact way it goes, so here is my version.

One day a man found a cocoon of a butterfly. He kept an eye on it, fascinated by nature and enthralled at the opportunity to witness the transformation of a butterfly right before his eyes.

One day it appeared that the big moment was about to happen, as a small opening appeared. For hours he sat watching as the butterfly struggled to force its body through the hole.

After a while, the movement stopped. It appears the butterfly was stuck and unable to make any further progress. The man grew impatient as we humans do. He wanted to see the butterfly emerge and maybe he just wanted to help the creature and truly believed it could not make it any further. So, he took a knife and cut the rest of the cocoon away so the butterfly could emerge.

As the butterfly appeared, the man noticed it was disfigured. The body and wings appeared swollen and dysfunctional. He watched and waited for the majestic wings to expand and take flight, but it never happened. The butterfly never flew and spent the rest of its life crawling on the ground, suffering, and never made it to God’s intended destination.

In the man’s haste to see the transformation of a butterfly before his eyes, he made a huge mistake. The struggle the butterfly must go through serves a purpose and as it fights its way out of the cocoon, that is what forces the fluid from its body into the wings to prepare it for flight. While trying to help the butterfly, the man destroyed its ability to achieve freedom and robbed it of the magic of its amazing transformation.

Sometimes our struggles are God’s gift to give us strength.

And so, my darling butterfly, the clock is ticking, and the time is quickly approaching that you will break out of that cocoon you have been fighting so hard to get out of. It might feel like a prison now, but your regal wings will sprout from the struggles you have endured and soon you will fly. You will emerge a strong, majestic creature, that can no longer be held back or kept from what you love.

I encourage you to focus on your true you. Do not worry about what anyone says and do not listen to anything negative being spoke over you. That is not you. You have intelligence that is so impressive, but to some, it might be a bit intimidating, and might just scare some people. Do not let that stop you from learning about everything that interests you and being your best in school and all that you do. Fight to be exactly who you are when people are trying to change you.

I encourage you to dig deep for the courage you need to get through this circumstance. Do not get impatient, just focus on forcing and fighting yourself through the hole to break free from that restrictive and unfair cocoon just like a butterfly. Do not try to impress people that do not have a clue what they are witnessing. Do not worry about living up to their standards because you are already in an orbit they will never attain or understand.

I wish I would have raised you to focus on God, but I did not. Whether you know it or not you are engulfed in prayers and God has you in the palm of his hands. The cocoon is just about ready for you to leave. You will see that soon enough.

I love you and I am excited for our future and making up for lost time. You are so precious, and you are never alone my love.