Dear Grace. Happy Birthday. Love Mom.

We have forgotten eyes closed to where we all began sure, eager, explorative and forgiving. Morphing into some crazy malaise of self- doubt in being found out. Never being enough or perfect.

Every feeling I have ever felt you have felt and will feel. We as a collective have felt. It’s not special to one but common. Love, hate, despair, insecurity, fear.

The teenage years are a painful rite of passage navigating the pitfalls and the awakenings.

Most of us learned to mask it. Grin and bear it or just wander and hope a light will show up to guide us. My suggestion is to embrace it pitfall and all. If lucky experience calms it. But big or small we all have it. The question is what we do with it?

Now here’s the lesson. Love what you are, be vulnerable, be gentle and be fury when you see injustice. Be you. Ask questions until you get the answers you need not what you want. Be fierce in your purpose be open in your purpose and it will become clear. Do not look to others for your compass will guide you. You will know when off course. Trust it. Trust you. What you see is all an illusion. It’s not real. The truth of who you are is real. Trust and the doubts and fears will recede. Like Dr Brene Brown says "dare greatly" Courage is the ability to give with your whole heart which you do and it makes me proud. You have the tools you were born with it. What do I always say? "Use your powers for good not for evil.".I believe in you and so do you don't believe otherwise

I write this to you as I would write to my 14 year old self because you are not me but I was once 14 and I remember. Happy Birthday.

(P.S I know this will embarass the heck out of you but let me have a bit of fun......and love you.)

Mom.