Words from my heart to my step-daughter : 

Dear Alanna 

You stand at the doorway of your adult life.  How beautiful you are.  How proud we are of you — a lovely young lady busy building memories for her future.  Beautiful memories are like wonderful scents that linger in the air — long after the source is gone; like special hugs that are always with us in good times and bad … wherever we are — throughout our whole lives.  They are cherished visitors that come to us in quiet moments to warm our souls — and cause our hearts to smile. 

I pray for you for strength — deep within … that God gave you when He was weaving your tiny little body in your mother’s womb.  You have what it takes to dream.  When others fail to believe in you … you have to go a little deeper ... and search a little harder — to find that one thing that will set you apart from all the rest.  You have the ability inside your heart … that will set you free to dream.  Fears that lie within, will always be there to conquer.  Take His hand to do the battle — to overcome adversity, fear, rejection, sadness and sorrow.  You have what it takes to dream your dream; to believe in yourself — just like I believe in you and your ability to achieve whatever goals you set for yourself.

I love you Alanna, and God blessed me abundantly to give you to me … to be part of my life, the day I married your Dad.
 

What Is a Daughter? A daughter is a rainbow bubble a star glimmering in the sky a rosebud after a storm a caterpillar turning into a butterfly A daughter is   hair flying in the wind red cheeks that glisten in the sunshine big daydream eyes A daughter is   a wonder, a sweetness a secret, an artist a perception, a delight A daughter is   everything beautiful A daughter is   Love

My day always becomes wonderful when I see your pretty face smiling so sweetly.  There is such warmth and intelligence radiating from you.  It seems that every day you grow smarter and more beautiful — and every day, I am more proud to be your parent.  As you go through different stages of life, you should be aware that there will be many times when you will feel scared and confused; but with your strength and values, you will always end up wiser, and you will have grown from your experiences — understanding more about people and life.  I have already gone through these stages — So if you need advice or someone to talk to, to make sense out of it all, I hope that you will talk to me.   I am ever cheering for your happiness, my sweet daughter — I love you!