A Galentine’s Day message of love.
Dear Sophia,
I hope by the time you’re my age, Galentine’s Day is still in full swing. It’s a lovely opportunity to take the time to celebrate your girlfriends. I have been so incredibly lucky to meet strong, beautiful women throughout my life. From grade school, high school, through college to now in my adult “mom life.” I can’t stress how important it is to have a group of close girlfriends. Mine have helped me through every stage of life, and I don’t know how I would have made it through without them.
A good friend is one who is loyal and accepts you for all that you are during good times, but especially the bad times. Good friends are honest and don’t hesitate to be real with you, even letting you know when you are not being a a very good friend yourself. Make sure they are present, loyal, and trustworthy. These traits will go far in life, and in order to hold tight to these friends, you need to be all of those things as well.
I promise you that I will always be your first Galentine. I will be here for you no matter what. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you always feel comfortable and never scared coming to me. I am here to talk. To listen. To offer advice when it’s warranted and to hug you and just let you cry. I will try my best to lead by example, and show you through my actions what a good friend is.
Sometimes in life you will lose friends, and that’s OK. People grow up and grow apart. I want you to know this and accept this. I spent a lot of time being sad and hard on myself when friendships ended. Sometimes for no reason at all, other times for very good reasons. Either way, it happens. It’s sad, but you need to decide when it’s worth your energy to save that friendship and when it’s time to let it go.
First step is to talk to her. Let her know how you feel and make sure she is OK. Sometimes friends have battles that you know nothing about. So I ask you to be patient and present if they are. If during your conversation she isn’t willing to listen or recognize your feelings and make an effort to create a healthier balance, it might be time to let that friendship go. Nothing has to end badly. You can still see each other and be cordial, because more times than not, she is part of your larger friend group and you will still see each other. Be the bigger person and be nice. If at any time you need help with this, I am here for you.
I think in this time of my life, the best thing about my Galentines is that they love you and your brother just as much as I do. There is no better feeling than seeing your girls become mothers and watching their kids grow up. It makes my heart so full, and I can’t wait for you to experience it if you choose to have kids one day. They will be there to help answer questions, to let you vent, swap funny stories, and most importantly, check up on you— to make sure that YOU are doing alright. That’s the biggest blessing.
Happy Galentine’s Day, my sweet Sophia. I love you to the moon and back.
XOXO,
Momma
