A Letter to My Sleeping Daughter
My Sweet Daughter,
I feel the warmth of your little arm draped softly over my chest while your tiny hand is settled serenely over my heart. I watch as the light bounces off your tiny fingertips and rests gently on the apple of your cherub cheek that I drench with kisses whenever I can.
I look down at you so peacefully snuggled up against my skin, asleep and without worry; and in this moment I realize that I am your everything. Your protector. Your provider. Your security and comfort. And right now, I am your pillow too. A soft, warm place to rest your sleepy head. You’re safe here little one.
It is humbling to consider the weight of these moments, these tiny blips in time when everything seems to blur around us as I take in the gravity of it all. They are frequent but fleeting, both heavy and weightless. The days are long but the years are short, they say. Motherhood is the ultimate juxtaposition of life.
I watch carefully for evidence of your breaths while I wish away time, in hopes that I can have this tiny version of you with me forever. I listen for the quiet sounds of your sleep and pray that I can also hear your dreams, so that I can do everything in my power to make them come true.
I tenderly stroke your head and arrange your perfectly fine blonde hair just so, knowing all the while that one day it will no longer fit into the palm of my hand. You will inevitably grow into a little girl, whose head will then fit perfectly in the crook of my arm while we read or snuggle; and then into a young woman, whose head will always have a place in my lap while we talk, laugh, or cry.
And so as you sleep, my baby girl, I reflect on my own journey. The one that flung me into motherhood just 8 short weeks ago. It’s not an easy or graceful transition for many, and for some it is chaos. I know I fell somewhere in between and at times question how so many mothers manage the trials and tribulations without completely losing their minds.
But then I stop to watch you sleep and quickly understand that we all gaze down upon these faces, and it is there we find the solidarity that makes our experiences so similar despite their differences. It is there we discover our unique answers and explanations. Drift away sweet child, and continue to show me the meaning of this new life through the simplicity of your slumber.
XO,
