Dear Little G,

Age is a sneaky thing which is why I'm guessing its so hard for me to believe that I am 40 and you are nine.

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago when I said to your dad during church, "I think I'm in labor. Contractions are seven minutes apart." You were two weeks early and we were both kind of relieved that we didn't have to stay for that church pot luck/congregational meeting.

Flash forward and here we are nine years later and I'm about to write some annual life lessons down for you. It's my hope that one day, you look back on them with a smile and maybe a knowing nod.

It's important to remember that effort matters. If you're gonna do a half assed job, you're gonna get half assed results. If the project is worth your time, it is worth your effort.

Always be carefree. I love the fact that you're not afraid to wear a birthday crown or dance when the music moves you. Sometimes as we grow older, we forget the importance of fun. We forget to laugh at ourselves. We forget how to dance. Don't let that happen to you.

Step outside of your comfort zones. I hate sports but I'm playing against the Harlem Wizards in a PTO event because a friend asked me to. Will I likely embarrass myself and laugh about it for years to come? Without a doubt. But those are the little things that make life fun. The moments where you can say, "Remember when...." Don't miss out on a remember when.

Follow your passion. I know what your thinking and it's true. I never sat in my third grade class and wrote down, "When I grow up, I wanna be a lunchlady". I'm sure none of your classmates did either. But here's what I know, I always wanted to work somewhere where I had a lot of fun, I always wanted to work somewhere where my coworkers and my boss were more like my friends, I always wanted to work somewhere where when I woke up I thought "I get to go to work today" instead of "I have to go to work today". Here's hoping that whatever you become you wake up thinking "I get to" instead of "I have to".

Be yourself. No matter where you're at or who your with, be true to yourself.

Your number one fan,

Mommy