Dear Lilly

A letter to my friend’s unborn daughter

Dear Lilly,

There are going to be several points in your life when you feel like you do not belong. Embrace these moments. Do not listen to the people who pat you on the head and tell you not to worry. Dismiss the assuring tone when someone says, “You’re just like everyone else.”

It’s not true; you’re not like anyone else. You are Lillian Attebery. You have a heart filled with wildfire. You were born to change the world, one person at a time.

When you are younger, these moments of realization are scary and confusing. The accompanying pressure will make you attempt completely uncharacteristic things just to fit into a crowd. You will do things that you are not proud of, and that’s ok. You learn from these experiences.

The sooner you accept that you are an extraordinary woman, that you have something unique and fascinating to offer this world, the happier you will be.

It took me a long time to accept this myself. Your father was one of the amazing people who helped me understand who I am — little by little, experience by experience.

Lilly, after thirty years, I have come to recognize that the secret of life is loving yourself. It sounds so easy, right? Here is the catch: you have to love your whole self…