I Have A Daughter

She is blurry in real life.  I guess 1 year olds never stop moving.

I was spending time praying the other night... and had a creative moment.  I wrote this poem (no, it doesn't rhyme), the inspiration came from what I wrote about in the last post.

I have a daughter.

She plays gently.

She squeals and giggles.

I have a daughter.

She is loved.

She will sometimes wear pink.

Sometimes she'll have ribbons in her hair.

Maybe she'll play dress-up.

And have imaginary tea parties.

She'll learn about Jesus.

And what is means to love.

She will sometimes not match.

Sometimes she'll have dirt under her nails.

Maybe she'll play a sport.

And have bruises and cuts.

She'll learn about life.

And what is means to work hard.

One day she might marry.

She'll trade her last name for a new one.

One day she might leave me.

And have babies of her own.

She will always be my daughter.

She will always be loved.

She is beautiful.

She is precious.

She is intelligent.

She is strong.

She is loved.

She is.

If she had been born into another family,

on the other side of the world...

would she be seen differently?

I have a daughter.

And she is loved.

Here is another quote from the book, Nurturing the Nations, by Darrow Miller:

"An Indian proverb says, "Bringing up a daughter is like watering a plant in another's courtyard."" (pg.56)

"In some Islamic countries, the community commonly celebrates when a baby boy is born.  The birth of a baby girl, however, prompts mourning and tears." (pg.60)

As a woman, it makes me hurt deeply.  Having a beautiful daughter, I hurt even more deeply.  My prayer is that God would open my eyes to see women how He sees them... and perhaps He would use me to share that message with others...

(I'd like to just take a minute to say that although the quotations from the book, Nurturing the Nations, come from reliable sources, research, personal testimonies, and other books... I am in no way making judgements to condemn anyone.  Just because there is a trend found in a country does not mean that say, my neighbor and friend who is from that country associates with these beliefs or behaviors.)