What my daughter’s letter to Santa taught me

I know I haven’t written a post in quite some time. At first I was just really busy with work and holiday preparations and I kept putting it off. Then after what happened in Connecticut…I honestly just haven’t had the desire to write about anything. Like many other parents throughout the country, I’ve taken what happened at that school pretty hard. Having a school-aged child myself, it’s been hard not to imagine myrself in the shoes of one of the parents that lost a child so tragically and inexplicably. But, in an effort to move past the grief and sadness, I’m writing this post in the spirit of Christmas, Childhood and Innocence lost too soon. I dedicate this post to my daughter—whom I’ve held extra close, loved extra hard and thanked the lord for many, many times these past few days.

This is my 9-year olds letter to Santa (I added a transcript at the end in case it's hard to read): 

Leilani is her name. It means heavenly flower in Hawaiian and when I first heard it, I knew it was perfect for her. So far she’s lived up to her moniker effortlessly. Ever since she’s been old enough to write letters to Santa she has never forgotten to thank him for the gifts she received the year before. I love this about her. You can teach your kids to be polite and show them manners, but gratitude is something that cannot be taught. She has a grateful soul and a compassion for others that far exceeds anything I’ve been able to teach her. Like all children she will test her limits—she knows she’s not getting an iphone or a Soda Stream! But she’ll never get angry or upset about it. She’s always happy and thankful for whatever she receives. Her witt and cretivigy shine through her personality...I don’t know where she got the idea that Santa’s mailing address is “Santa’s Groto, North Pole” lol. This year she was also thoughtful enough to write a letter to Santa on behalf of her 1-year old half-brother. Again, nobody asked her to do this…it’s just the type of kind-hearted soul she is.

I never thought I could get so much out of a letter to Santa! Reading it really brought me joy this year. Perhaps it’s because of what happened in Newtown. Perhaps it’s because she’s at an age where she definitely questions whether Santa is real and I know there won’t be too many more of these letters to come. Whatever it was, it really struck home with me and reminded me to really treasure what I have…the little things…the subtleties.

Letter to Santa Transcript
Dear Santa,
This year for Christmas I would like...
1. Soda Stream with powdered soda
2. iphone
3. Shimmer tattoo
4. American Girl doll Josefina with accesories
5. Movie-The Nightmare Before Christmas
6. A new sled
P.S. Thank you for last years gifts
I live at ____________
(heart) Leilani N.