Dear, precious daughter, you are no longer a little girl. Long gone are the days of playing with dolls and pretending to be a mommy. Now you are a young lady, and you look forward to the fulfillment of your dreams for the future–a future that includes the hope of marriage and motherhood.
We have always had so many dreams for you, but these words summarize all of them:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…and…you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ~Mark 12:30,31
For, truly, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” ~Mark 8:36
There is nothing more important than knowing and loving God. As your parents, our greatest desire would be for you to live your life for the glory of God.
Academically, our goals for you have always been that you would be an excellent reader and know how to think. That you would know how to find the answers to any questions that may come up in your life. And that you would love to learn.
And as I see you sitting on the couch with an encyclopedia on your lap, looking up yet another subject that intrigues you, I know that we have succeeded in teaching you how to find answers to your questions. As I watch you playing your guitar, entirely self-taught, I know that you know how to learn and teach yourself new skills.
And yet there is still so much to learn! This school year will be filled with learning more about science, history, and geography, studying poetry and art, perfecting math skills, learning new writing skills, Bible study, and memorizing Scripture.
As you get older, I hope to also teach you more about homemaking. You already know so much just from living your life here at home, but there is always more to learn. And no matter what the Lord has planned for your life, homemaking skills are always good to know. Gardening, cooking, sewing, knitting, growing and using herbs, making bread, canning, cleaning, and organizing–all of these are such useful skills and they also allow so much creativity to be expressed. I love homemaking, and I hope to pass this love on to you as we create and spend time together.
As you enter your teen years, I feel such excitement at the days ahead. We love you!
My Rachel turned 13 this year. She is a precious young woman…lovely, motherly, caring, strong. She loves hanging out with her sisters – My girls are 20, 18, 13, and 10. I am glad to have a young girl still though I adore my young women!
We have the same desires for our daughters as you have for yours.
God Bless you and Elyse!
Deanna
Thank you, Deanna! How fun to have 4 daughters who can all be friends!
I have only one child, a daughter. We have homeschooled for seven years and each year is new and different.
Your letter to your daughter was beautiful. I found myself thinking of my daughter as I read your words to Elyse.
I am glad I found your blog because it can be tough to find kindred high school homeschoolers. That is one reason I love the LetsHomeschoolHighschool.com community…they offer forums, articles, and encouragement in an area that is foreign to me.
Thanks for sharing your heart.
Joyfully,
Jackie
Hi Jackie~ thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
"Academically, our goals for you have always been that you would be an excellent reader and know how to think. That you would know how to find the answers to any questions that may come up in your life. And that you would love to learn."
Joy,
This certainly resonates with me!:) Thanks for joining in the carnival:)
Thank you, Erin!
What a great idea to write a 'letter'.
We have 2 boys and only 1 daughter.
There are so many things to communicate to our children as they journey to become adults.
I think it's wonderful to communicate it in words and paper!
Thanks, Jennifer. So many times I have thoughts about my children and then forget to share them with them!
What a beautiful thoughts about your daughter. Loving and tender. It makes me happy to read this.
Thank you, Jedidja!
It's posts like this that I wish with all my heart that my older daughters lived with us(they live with their mother). So beautiful Joy! I just pray that when they do come home that God is able to use me as an instrument to share with them the beauty of homemaking etc. :o)
That must be hard to have your older daughters living somewhere else. At least they can have your example when they are home!
A precious post indeed.
I'm on that narrow road with you Joy…striving to raise these babies for the Lord. I can see here that with a blink of an eye, they are not babies anymore.
She is a beautiful young lady.
Thank you, Amanda. Yes, it does go very fast!
Hi Miss Joy!
This is a beautiful post. Over just the short time we have known you and your family I have seen Elyse growing into a Godly young woman.
I remember the days well when I turned 13. I was so excited to see what God had in store for me. Now that I am older, I find that each year and chapter in my life is special.
Elyse, stay close to God and He will never leave you. You are a bright young lady and I am so thankful to have met you. Thanks for your friendship.
What a sweet comment, Grace! I'll share it with Elyse. I really appreciate your encouragement to her to stay close to God. ♥
Thanks Miss Joy. It is very important to stay close to God. I pray that I am an example of what a Christian girl should be. <3
Very sweet.
Thanks, Sandra J!
As a mother of a soon to be 18year old, I know the fears that cross my heart…oh, but I also know that Our Lord has him in the palm of His Hand.
Your daughter is lovely Joy.
Mrs. B.
Thank you!