Big Girl Panties

Sweet baby,

As irony would have it, you are still in diapers for a couple more years, but I want to share a bit of wisdom with you for down the road.  Here it is: when life is hard, when it feels all roller-coastery or like the Tower of Terror (which you will never hear I have been on because I will never go on it...) you will have to put on your big girl panties and be bigger than you want to be.  You may have to be nicer than you want, more brave than you want, more gracious than you want to be, but you'll have to do it.  You'll have to tell yourself, "Self, life is hard.  A lot.  Continuously at times.  But gosh darn it, get on with it!"  During one day my life can feel joyful, happy, peaceful, and then with one bit of life it can get all cattywampus in my head.  Yes, I choose to laugh, pray, drink coffee, etc. but there is often a battle raging within me to be a big girl when I'd really rather go to bed, cry, still drink coffee and say curse words in my head to the people who bug me.  I digress.  Life is sticky, Kate.  The good stuff sticks and so does the bad, but you have to learn what to keep and what to wash off.  Keep these things:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.  Philippians 4:8

Whether it's Cystic Fibrosis that bugs you, or maybe people or just rotten circumstances, I will be there to cheer you on and encourage you.  I pray that the Lord will give you friends that I've had in the past and that God is putting in my life now who encourage and pray and love.  They're the ones who will be there for you no matter what.  And when that day comes when it all feels hard, they'll tell you to put on your big girl panties, and you will, and you'll get on with it.