Dear Sunny,

Tomorrow you will be one year old.  I won’t be at your party, and that makes me sad, but I will see you in twenty-seven days when we come to California to spend a week.

California and New York are 2452 miles apart.   Geographically, that is a very long way, but my love travels those miles every single day.   I think of you in the morning, and I wish you goodnight when I go to bed.

You are my first granddaughter, the first baby born to my baby ( your daddy, no matter how old he gets will always be my baby).  You are the first girl in our family in decades and I wished for you for a very long time.

On your first birthday I wanted to write something just for you.   You won’t understand it now but someday I hope you read it and it means something to you.

You have a very long happy life ahead.   Some of life is made up of our choices, and some is happenstance.   We do the best we can with both.

When you have a choice, think carefully.   Always be kind, choose joy, happiness and love. Stay busy and active and learn as many wonderful things as you can.   Play an instrument, learn to dance,  play a sport, learn to paint, draw, write or whatever speaks to your soul.   Listen carefully to your own voice.   You will know.

When you are faced with happenstance and life swirls around you, just breathe.    Settle yourself and listen again to your own voice.  You will know the way.

Everything we need is already inside us.

Trust yourself.

I love you my little sunshine girl.   See you soon.

Love,

GiGi