My sweet little ones,

I wrote to you about life lessons, and the most important things I've learned to make it through the tough times. But I left out THE most important lesson: have faith.

I was raised in a loving, Southern Baptist home. We attended church every Sunday morning, every Sunday and Wednesday nights, and some days in between. Your grandparents never lacked faith. I was baptized young and believed so much in the God I was raised to know. As I got older and journeyed through the teenage years, God began to dwindle from my life. I questioned everything. I questioned Heaven and Hell, I questioned the importance of religion and attending church, and worst of all I questioned the existence of God. By the time I attended a lecture on Eastern world religions in college, my faith was completely gone. I didn't pray, I didn't attend church, and I didn't believe.

The next ten years or so are somewhat of a blur. I struggled with life, depression, relationships, choices, and everything that most twenty-somethings go through. Those years and experiences seemed so challenging and it's only now that I am realizing why- I was trying to do it alone. Faith wouldn't have kept me from those struggles, but it would have made them so much more bearable. I am amazed that I ever made it to where I am now without Him. There is nothing and no one that can replace the love and comfort of knowing God.

If you never listen to anything else I ever say, please learn from the biggest mistake I've ever made in life. No matter how smart or strong you are, no matter how much you have it all together or figured out, you can't do it alone. None of us can. Trust and believe and have faith in the God who created you... the God who SAVED you. There really is nothing more important. If you can figure that out and stick with it, everything else will fall into place. Pray every day, keep God first above everything, and live your life for Him. There is nothing more powerful than the peace, happiness, and love only He can provide.

With all my love,

Mom