WELCOME OLIVIA

 

Our great niece, Emily, is in the hospital…she was admitted yesterday…for the most wonderful of reasons…baby Olivia, is on her way…

If I was to give advice to Emily and Brandon…if I was to take the time…I’d put it in a poem…because advice sounds so much better in rhyme.

Yes, If I was to give advice…I would begin this simple rhyme

by telling them the best gift they could ever give Olivia…would be the simple gift of time.

I would tell them they could give her money and toys that move and dance and speak…but at the end of every day…time with them is the only gift all she seeks.

I would tell them it is in their eyes Olivia will find her self-esteem

and the more and more they believe in her…the more and more she’ll dream.

I would tell them it’s okay if Olivia fails…when she struggles or competes…that when she fails, for she will fail…be there…to help her back upon her feet.

I would tell them Olivia will experience good and bad from the moment her life begins…and to love her as much those times she loses…as they do those times she wins.

I would remind them when Olivia is young she needs parents; she doesn’t need a friend…and not to be afraid to tell her NO…it will help her in the end.

I would tell them Olivia will look to them for guidance…she will look to them for love…and, sometimes when she needs it…they can give her a little shove.

But, I’d tell them, not to push too hard…or to all of their dismay

they may think they’re helping…but they are pushing her away.

I would tell them to love Olivia unconditionally…that’s what parents do…If they can do that, no questions asked, then she will love them too.

I would tell them how fast Olivia will grow…how she’ll only be a child for a day…before life and its responsibilities snatch her childhood innocence away.

I would tell them I know they will be busy for a while…but if they should ever find the time…and they are seeking some advice…just refer back to this rhyme.

And now a final wish for Olivia…

your Mom and Dad are just learning how to be parents

and with them doing a little better every day…

may your life be a series of love stories you collect along the way.