Dear Monsters,

Well, here goes nothing in an endeavor to utilize this newfandangled interwebs blogging thing to keep up with the masses in general, and you, in particular. Fact is, your mom and dad and you live way too far away and I want, selfishly, to get to be a part of your lives. Who knows if I'm going to have any cousins for you, so I'm going to do my best to interfere in your lives instead of the lives of my own hypothetical children. As your adoring aunt, I'm simply compelled to spew my nonsense to you.

But then, what to say? Sometimes I get smacked with pearls of thought (some might, MIGHT, call it wisdom) that could prove useful to you, and I'll no doubt share those pearls as they leave their welts in my noggin, but what else? I'd like to think your eyes won't glaze over or shatter with the tedium of having to read each new letter/entry.... Actually, I'd like these entries to be some sort of magical oasis in the midst of life's homework and chores and arguments and heartbreaks and all the other annoying, frustrating, infuriating, and boring things with which you're supposed to be dealing rather than reading blogs from me. In other words, my hope is that these words might not only cultivate a sense of connection with you and perhaps inspire you to actually want to talk to me at some point when you're doing more than cooing and crying, but also that it may serve as some kind of entertainment. I'd rather not be the old cat lady aunt in a muumuu that smells like moth balls and cheap wine, insisting that you look at my 974 slides of my solo vacation to see the world's largest ball of string.... yet. Old(er) age may require your attention for such activities, and I may even ask you to hold my dentures. Senility, I hope, will buy me some grace.

That being said, I don't know what else to say for today. So.... Hi.

My utter lack of any profound or interesting stories today is no indication of hesitation in my desire to write to you. Rather, it's the overwhelming nature of wanting to sift through the entirety of my brain, guts, perspective, and experience to offer you only words that you might find useful or entertaining.

I often think about how people guide their kids and teach them values like integrity, humility, tenderness, adaptability, generosity, boundaries, wellness, truth, perspective, hard work, creativity, learning, forgiveness, resiliency, perseverance, dependability, loyalty, etc, etc, etc. How do people even begin?? It's a humbling responsibility, as I see it. Good thing your dad and mom are two of the most wonderful people I've ever known. You are-- even acknowledging that you all will have your knock-down, drag-out, gut-wrenching arguments and disagreements-- in the best of hands. I have no worries that your amazing parents will do an outstanding job of it, and I have no worries that you will do an outstanding job of finding yourselves and evolving as equally amazing individuals. Yeah. You're awesome.

Too hippie-dippie? Sorry. I'll get more gritty and curse more as you get older. Right now, I feel like I have to be a good influence.... Sort of.... This first entry is, all considered, actually for your parents, given the fact that you are currently a fetus and an infant, still drooling, spitting up, pooping all over yourself, and making weird faces. Happy Mother's Day!



Love,

Auntie Hatchetface