Dear World, Twenty-four years ago today I gave you a gift.  My bright and beautiful daughter, Lauren!  She came into this world after twenty-one hours of labor and a C-section.  I suppose I should have known then that she was in no hurry. When she went to school, I would be the first parent there at the end of the day to pick up my child.  But I would sit in my car and wait as every other child made their way to their own parent’s car, while I still sat there waiting for her.  If there was a school program and the students had to enter the auditorium in a line, there would be the inevitable break in that line as my daughter took her time to take everything in that was happening around her.  She was always the one to stop and notice things along the way.  Early on, she showed that she had a concern for the world around her.  She started a club in kindergarten, their purpose was to watch the sky in case a meteor might be headed for the playground.  She has a concern for you, World, and takes on the responsibility to make things better.  Whether if it is the glaciers that are melting, or the rainforests that are being destroyed, or the children starving in Darfur, she takes on the challenge and gets involved.  She has never been a child who wore blinders, she always looked around and she really saw you.  So World, I’m asking you for a favor, please treat her well. She sees you and will fight for you; she will lead others to try to save you. It may take her some time, but she will make this world a better place.  So take care of my little girl, I love her very much, but she belongs to you now.

http://www.theresadodaro.com   Author of The Tin Box Trilogy