Loving Letters Legacy

One of my favorite books is Louisa May Alcott's Little Men. I find Jo and her husband to be enchanting teachers of troubled boys. One thing that caught my attention was that before the busy days of television and computers, people would sit in the evenings and read or write—both are now a rare choice of personal entertainment. In the book Little Men, Jo would spend time every evening and write about each boy under her care. She would take note of things the boys had done-good or bad and things they had learned. She kept a notebook for each boy. In time she hoped to give each boy his notebook. 

Long before I had a child I found myself inspired by that specific idea of Jo’s and wanted to do something similar for my children. Although, I do not take the time to write every night, I have started to create a collection of letters to my daughter that I hope to give to her someday, when she is on her own. I began writing these letters when I found out I was pregnant and have kept it up—describing the moment we found out we were having a baby, when we found out it was a girl, through her birth, and now on to the years of her childhood. 

Although my accounts are not as detailed as Jo’s in Little Men, nor is my pen as crafty and wise, it has been good for me to remember each event as I wrote it down. Writing my daughter a love letter once in a while has also helped keep my love for her constantly in my mind even during those grumpy days. I hope someday my daughter will enjoy reading the thoughts and feelings I had for her throughout the stages of her life. Above all, I hope it will always be a reminder to her how much she is loved. Just as our Heavenly Father left us Precious Letters to show us how much He loves us.