Aliya,
I love you. Period. It is the end of the sentence. It doesn't come with a but or an if and it doesn't come with an expiration date. Life is complicated, and I know times can be hard, painfully hard, and you might feel alone, but I promise you, you never will be. I will be here for you always and while I love the happy days and the laughter and smiles, I want just as much to be there for you for the hard times. I want you to know that you can always come to me no matter what life dishes you. I might not be able to solve the issue, but I will cry with you and hold you, and we will make it through together.
I hope you know
- to be true to who you are. We love you as you, and the more authentic you are, the happier you will be and the stronger it will make our relationship. There is no truth that you can give us that we will not love you through.
- that it is okay to leave people behind. People are not always kind, and it is a painful hard lesson to learn but know that those people who deserve your attention are those that would never deeply hurt you or put you down. It hurts, and I will never deny you that truth, but some people are meant for a chapter of your life while others are there for your whole story.
- to be honest, it will save you a lot of pain. Don't try to impress others with lies, if they don't like you for exactly who you are they will never be a good friend to you.
- to admit when you are wrong and apologize. It is hard to do, but it will save you pain and will heal relationships. We all make mistakes and learning to give a truly heartfelt apology can be healing for everyone involved, including yourself.
- that you are beautiful exactly how you are, but that beauty isn't everything. There are days when I truly hate the world for focusing so much on our outward appearance. We all should be allowed not to care about what we look like but to simply embrace life. It is so hard to learn this lesson, but I truly hope you do not waste any time at war with your own body. We are all given one amazing, fascinating, strong body that can do so much more than just show up and look pretty. I understand what it is like to feel the need for perfection, but I dream of a day that you are judged based on your accomplishments, strength, and kindness far more than anything physical, and you are the most talented, STRONG, and loving girl I know.
- that I want you to stand up for what you need and want. You are not on a path that has been set for you by someone else, you are on your own journey. You have a voice and I want to hear it. Don't let anyone make you feel you are getting what you deserve; what you deserve is what you work for and only your dedication and persistence can determine how far you will go. Speak up, let your thoughts be known.
But most of all I hope you know that we love you to the moon and back, today and for always. You make us laugh, you give us joy, you make us feel loved, and you give us so much pride to have you as our daughter. We want to be there for you. We want to hear the bad and the good, and we desperately want you to know you can turn to us with all of it. There is nothing to big or small that we can't handle better with the support of each other. We love you, and we are not going anywhere, we will forever be here for you. Always.
Love Always and Forever,
Mom
