Letter to Aurora

Miss Aurora,

I have absolutely no idea how to express the feelings I want to convey to you. So, this letter may be a bit jumbled and hard to follow because I am just going to start rambling. That was your "heads up" this may be hard to follow.

I will never forget the first day I met you. You made a visit to our house with Cory to discuss the possibility of you starting daycare here. You seemed so quiet and reserved yet you appeared funky and fun (the impression I got solely based off your hot pink skull shoes you were rockin).

Come to find out you were all of those things but sooooo much more. You have a personality the size of Texas and that is something I have always admired about you. You are not afraid to let your uniqueness shine through and you express yourself with such poise and confidence. It truly is a quality that you must hold on to as you grow older. Today, too many people (young and old) try to conform and just play "follow the leader" but you have always done your own thing and I love love love that about you.

I actually love so many things about you-I doubt I will be able to list them all in this letter to you. I love how sensitive, sweet, and kind you are to all people (and animals). You are always the first to share something you have with someone who has none. You are always the first to lend a helping hand if you see one of the other kiddos struggling. You are the first to stand up and speak up for kids you feel are being treated unfairly. And you do it with so much class. Some kids have the ability and sensitivity to see when others need sticking up for but they do it in a way that is so confrontational that its almost counterproductive. You, however, have the ability to stick up for others without causing more problems. You simply say, "come on guys that's not really fair" in your kindest yet most commanding voice.

You have been a wonderful friend to the kiddos I have had in my care during the time you were here and I am sure you have left your mark in  all of their memories and hearts. You absolutely have done that for me!

You have seriously been like the daughter I never had. You may not know this but I have always bragged about you to my family and friends (just as though you were my own). I have not only thought of you as a daughter but also as a friend. You have matured into a person I truly enjoy being with. I love your humor and your random facts or useless knowledge you share with me. I will never forget that girls see color more vividly than boys and I will also always remember that the inside of the stems of dandelions have a numbing effect. LOL. You have kept me up to date and informed of all things trending and cool -especially songs! 

When I look back and remember you, I know I will have flashes of you singing , dancing, photo-bombing, drawing, gathering twigs and flowers to create your latest artwork, and mostly LAUGHING! You laugh often! And I just love your laugh. It's infectious.

You have laughed through the torture of being the only girl here. You have been such a trooper here at my daycare you have endured the wrath of 5 boys for so long. You have had the ability to not let them get to you or bother you. You have adapted to this testosterone filled home with so much grace. You are awesome for so many reasons but for this fact alone-you are especially awesome...I am not sure I could have tolerated all those farts, burps, and boy talk the way you have.

I have looked through over a hundred pictures of you here through the years and I tear up every time. I know I shouldn't be sad as I knew for a while this time would eventually come but now that it is here...I am beside myself.

I will need you to keep in touch with me! Call me, text me, email, facebook me....whatever you want to do but ever so often I will expect an update from you on how you are doing. And you can most certainly ALWAYS count on me if you ever need anyone. If you are every in trouble, need help, need someone to talk to, need advice, or just want to say, "hi" I will always be here for you.

I have seen you grow from a young little girl into a young woman and what I have seen along your journey is that-you most certainly have a bright future ahead of you. The sky is the limit little lady! I am so excited to see what you make of yourself. I expect it won't just be something average or mundane. I expect it to be something just as incredible as you are.

You will be greatly missed and Dana's Daycare will forever have a void that will never be filled. You have left your mark here and it has been a beautiful one! Love you love you love you!

Dana