To my future daughter,

I love you. I've been in training to learn how to love and raise a daughter for 21 years. (It will be more by the time you come along.) My mother has been a wonderful teacher, and I hope that I will be able to teach you in the same way she taught me.

Once I marry your daddy and we take some time together to pray for you, we will bring you into this world. It's not an easy world to live in, but I promise I will take care of you. I will protect you and teach you about Jesus. I will hold you, and cradle you, and savor every second I have with you. I won't let anything or anyone come between us.

I will be there to hold your hand and walk you into your first day of kindergarten. And if you happen to be like mommy, cry every single day, I will come pick you up and bring you home because I know how stressful school can be. I will wipe away every tear and I will spoil you no matter how much people tell me not to.

During your teenage years, things will probably shift a little bit. You'll be feeling a little more independent and not want mom around as often. We won't always get along. You're going to be mad when I tell you no, you can't go out with a boy three years older than you. You're going to stomp off to your bedroom and promise not to talk to me for the rest of your life. But you'll feel better the next day. A few weeks will pass and you'll realize I only had your best interest in mind. You're probably going to try and wear something a little too short and your daddy's going to have a fit. I'll be there to teach you how a lady should dress modestly and I promise to be your example.

When you turn 16 and ready to drive, I'll tell you about the time my mother took me car shopping and how well that went. I'll tell you how I didn't get my car because we wrecked in the parking lot of the dealership. We'll laugh and then I'll tell you that you don't need to rush into anything when making any type of decision.

Soon you'll be ready for your first date. It'll be an emotional day for me and your daddy. He'll be waiting there to give your date a hard time as soon as he walks up the steps and I'll be fighting back the tears as I assist you getting ready. I'll teach you the importance of waiting for marriage and I'll pray for you the entire night. Hopefully, you will have a little brother that will be sent to chaperone. I'll be looking through the window as I anticipate your return and I'll wonder if this is the man you're meant to marry.

You're going to be heartbroken if things don't work out and I'll tell you everything will be okay. I will encourage you to continue praying for the man you're meant to marry as I have been praying for your whole life.

Before we know it, you'll be 18 and I'll be wondering where the time has gone. You'll be getting ready to go off to college or you may decide to stay home for a year and take time to consider what you would like to do. And I'll be here to support whatever decision you make.

Soon you'll be ready to marry the man of your dreams. I hope that you have found the man that will lead you by following the will of God. As your daddy walks you down the aisle, I will be praying for you and your husband. As I look to my mother, who will have tears in her eyes as she reminisces the day that I got married, I will thank her for showing me how to love and raise you.

When you have a daughter, I hope you can say you've learned a few things from me. I will be there if you ever need to call me during the middle of the night because she won't stop crying. I will be there when she's giving you the attitude you gave me and I gave my mom. I will be there as your shoulder to cry on when she tells you she's never going to speak to you again. I know being a strong, tough mom is hard. But just like I talked to my mom again; just like you talked to me again; she will talk to you again. I will be there on her wedding day and I will reminisce the day that you got married. All of the moments, the good, the bad, the exciting, and the stressful will all fade away and you'll wish you had them back as you watch her walk the aisle to her future. But on that day, she will be so thankful for all that you taught her. And just as I am thankful for my mom, and as you will be thankful for me, she will be thankful for you.