I Hope You Dance

I hope you dance- as true today as the day I dedicated it to my future children. This week when I heard this song on the radio it reminded me of the hope and excitement I felt on my wedding day. The world was new and open to any possibility. Today, being a wife and mother can become routine and boring, but I haven't lost any of the hope for the future that I held more than 10 years ago.

At our wedding reception Daniel and I had this song played and dedicated to our foster son who was living with us at the time, the daughter I recently found out I was pregnant with, and any children who would come into our lives down the line. I didn't imagine how powerful the words would be. As I listened to the song this week with new ears, it meant even more than it did in the past.

So much has happened in our lives, and yet we haven't given up. Daniel and I lived through being separated and getting back together, we lived through moving from a beautiful house to a very small townhouse, and we've lived through job changes and the beginnings of a new career. Through it all, my hope for my children has never changed. No matter what else happens I hope they continue to live life with all they've got. I hope they never give up, and I hope we have set that example as strongly as I think we have.

Parents get asked what they hope for their children. What do they want their children to be when they grow up? Do they hope their children get married and have children? Do they hope their children graduate in the top of their college class? My answer to all of this is- I don't know.

How could I not know what I want for my children? It's simple: I don't know because I have no preconceived ideas of how my children's lives will look. If they want to go to college, great! I hope they work hard and get the best grades that they can. If they choose not to go to college, I'm okay with that, too. It's their choice. If they decide to get married and have children, awesome! I think I will make a great grandmother when the time comes. If not, that's fine, too. I do hope that my children choose to give children a stable life within a loving marriage if children are in the future. As far as career, I have NO idea what my children will grow up to be, and it is definitely not my choice. I do hope that they don't settle for just any job that will pay the bills. I hope they will find a career that will make them happy, help them to feel fulfilled, and pay enough so they don't have to struggle through life.

I hope you dance. Show up for life and give it all you've got. That's the most that anyone can ask. Life is never perfect for any of us, but if sure is better when it's lived with passion and excitement. If you fall down, get back up. Keep smiling and keep trying. Above all, love the life that you live. That, my friend, is my wish for everyone I love.