In a Life Quite Ordinary, Love is Extraorindary

Dear Babies,



I've been thinking about the things that your father and I will be certain to teach you. Some things he will be better suited to teach you such as: math, skiing, copy editing, how to make a budget, how to tell the difference between "crap" and music, how to be good men and respect women (if you are boys), and that men should always respect you (if you are girls). I will certainly teach you how to drive, why it is fun to celebrate holidays, how to throw a curve ball, how to say your prayers, and how to read music. Together we will teach you about the importance of patriotism, family and faith.

There are so many things that I am looking forward to... I cannot wait to read you all of my favorite children's books. To see you turn your heads because you will recognize our voices, even on the day you are born. I want to watch you get excited about the dog and teach you how to care for animals.

But there are harder things that we need to teach you. Even though it seems to us like there is never enough money, I know realistically that our lives are blessed. Not just because of the two of you, although in addition to the sacrament of our marriage, you are our greatest blessing, but because we live in a city where we can see daily how hard life can be. We drive by people every day who are starving, homeless, sick and without health care, lost in mental illness, crippled by addiction, and lost without faith.

I think that the most important lesson that we can teach you is compassion and responsibility for your fellow man. To know that your privileges are, in fact, privilege and not a right. Figuring out how to do that will be very hard. We want to protect you from everything. I yelled the other day, for the first time in this pregnancy, and the sound of my anger scared you. I felt you both jump and immediately regretted my action. I don't ever want you to experience pain or sorrow. I don't want you to know what it feels like to be lost or hopeless. But I know that those experiences teach compassion and understanding and will shape you into the wonderful individuals that you will become.

I think that in comparison to being a parent being pregnant has been relatively easy.

There is so much for you to learn I barely know where to start. I think that the first lesson will be that the most important gift we have is the people who love us. If we meet our responsibility to take care of them our lives will be filled with extraordinary blessings. Like the two of you.

Love,

Mommy