Dear World

 Dear World,

This is my crew.

Now they don't know yet, just how broken you are. They don't know there is hurt beyond scraped knees and that mommy's kisses can't actually fix everything. All that is in my mama heart wants to keep it that way, but I know I can't.

What I want them to know is that in our family, we love people. Hard. Even if they are different than us, we love the heck out of them.

I want them to be young men who make room. Make room for friends on the playground, classmates at the lunch table and women at the board table.

I want them to know that I would rather send them to school with a hundred Valentines than for someone to feel left out.

I want them to be kids who give away their lunch money, because they see a classmate who hasn't eaten in a week. 

I want them to know how to win with pride and lose with grace.

I want them to know they are safe when they go to school and church.

I want our adults to stop acting like children so that our children can stop having to act like adults.

I want all of our children to have the futures we write on those first day of school chalkboards. 

Sincerely,

Their Mom