Raising Samantha: Hopes and Dreams

Samantha Jean,

Your Grandma Vogt came by today to drop off some farm raised beef for us. She couldn't stay long, but it was still a nice visit. Well, it is January 2013 and we are but a couple months from your 2nd birthday. You have uttered your first full sentence. "I want Baby and Blue Bear." You are saying so many words, I can't keep up with them all. I can still just sit and watch in amazement at you. But, you know, I think I'll always just enjoy watching you be you for as long as you let me, no matter how old you get. You'll be my baby when you are 37 (like me). Which would make me...73...oh my. I hope I'm still around to see you. All my hopes and dreams wrapped up in one little girl, but don't worry, my hope is for you to be happy and my dream is for your dreams to come true. Some days it will happen. Some days it will not. That is life. Happiness belongs to the people who appreciate it. Happiness comes in small everyday packages delivered to you. It doesn't come in some big shiny box. Happiness, true happiness comes when you choose to see the good in life.

Now dreams.....I haven't mastered dreams yet. My dreams for my life have changed over time. I don't know if that is reality setting in, or my needs changing. A combination of the two is likely. When I was in Junior High, I wanted to be an astronaut. It wasn't until college, when I couldn't pass calculus, when I realized that an astronaut was a bit out of reach. It was my senior year in college that I realized I wanted to be a mommy, but the time wasn't right. I was 23 and headed for the Army. My enlistment was to pay off my student loans. The military is a great way to go to college for free, but I don't recommend it during war time. I went through college and the Army without a clear destination other than to make it through. At the end of my 3 years of enlistment, I came home to no direction or drive whatsoever. About a year after my return home, I had a dream to be a physical therapist. Alas, 11 years later, that dream has come and gone. BUT, there is one dream I had when I was 23 years old that came true at the age of 36. It is a sacred dream shared by many people in our family. It is a dream that took time and love. It was my dream to have you. So I can say without a doubt that I am happy and my dream has come true. Be true to yourself and follow your heart. If your heart fails to guide you, you can ALWAYS trust your gut.

So, Samantha, be what you want to be...