Dear Elaine,
My darling, the world is so big for you. I am so excited for you, and you are not even twenty-four hours old. But, my love – my dear cousin, you are already destined for mighty things. The God who knit you together did so with such care. He spent millennia fashioning your precious soul. Your toes and your lungs and your elbows consumed His thoughts for longer than we could imagine. He has never and will never grow tired of you. He longs for you to come to Him with all the musings, desires, and thoughts buried deep within you. He will always hear you, no matter whether you sing or cry or scream or whisper or laugh or talk so quickly that no one else understands. He will never grow weary of you.
My darling, our Papa is gentle and perfect. He is on your side. You can never go too far out of His arms that you can’t turn back. He will always welcome you back.
This life you’ve tumbled into is not always simple. Your path will be twisty at times. You will scrape your knees and get headaches from too many tears. Sometimes nights will feel endless here. You will get scared, and probably sometimes you won’t understand even your own heart. People will be mean to you, and you will be mean to people – even people you really, really love. You will lose people who you don’t want to lose: this journey has many paths, and we do not all travel the same one at all times. Those you love sometimes go one direction, and you will go someplace else.
But listen to me, my dear: this life is so, so glorious, too. You will learn to run someday. You will taste freedom and know joy. You will laugh at goofy jokes and ridiculous movies and even yourself. You will discover that which makes your heart beat a little faster – those passions created inside you may be many, and they may not make sense, but it is your job to notice what you love and decide to do something about it. It might take lots of time. That’s okay. You have time. You will find your people – the ones who get you, who anchor you. And you will see the Father, even before you know Him by name.
Oh, dear heart, you will learn so much. You will learn of forgiveness, that mysterious and holy gift. You will learn of grace, an infinite wellspring in a dry-desert life. And you will learn of love – so many loves, but each one an ultimate and divine expression of the very Essence of our Rescuer.
My love, you will be taken care of. You have found your way into a good home in this world. This is a family full of strange and beautiful love, and oh my goodness we can be an odd bunch. But we fling our arms wide here. So run into the house – make a mess, in any sense of the term, and allow your soul to be a little wild and unpredictable.
Do not forget that you are loved, supported, believed in, and valued. I pray the great worth you have rings true within you every day of your time on this earth. And I pray you live in the spirit of that worth.
I have run this race for only a short distance, but I have noticed this: this life is a grand adventure. And I have not always lived it as such. But you, my lovely cousin, were born at a time in my life when I came to yet another agreement with God. I want more adventure, I told Him. And in a tempest, in His infinite grace, He answered me: Yes, My child. Your heart is ready now.
May you ask for the adventures sooner than I did. And may you trust Him to make your heart ready, again and again and again.
With love always,
Courtney
September 12, 2014
Courtney Raymond 