Today is Columbus Day, but what does that actually mean? Well, there won't be Christmas trees or Easter baskets or even a day off for Mommy & Daddy. What it means for us is you get to spend the day laughing & playing with Grandma & Grandpa while Daddy & Mommy work. What does that mean for everyone else?
Christopher Columbus lived in the 1400s & was a "navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the Western Hemisphere and of the American continents." I think there are many people who would disagree with many of the ways in which the American continents were colonized & developed, but without Columbus' drive to explore the unknown, we probably wouldn't be here right now. I'm not sure what Columbus Day means to everyone else, but for me it's a reminder to explore.
I hope you'll be an explorer. I hope you'll be an adventurer.
I don't think you have to sail into unknown waters to be an explorer. I don't think you even have to leave the state (although, one of the things I hope to instill in you is the awareness that there are other states outside the smallest state of Rhode Island). To me, exploration means always having questions & a yearning to find answers.
Right now for you, that means picking up an acorn, turning it in your hand, and saying "what's that?" Exploration is going to see the different kinds of animals at the zoo & different kinds of fish at the aquarium. It's smelling, tasting, touching, & seeing pieces of our lives for the first time. I love watching you explore now, the excitement in your face as you discover something new. I especially love watching you explore the lovely things this season brings us: hiking & biking & leaf peeping & apple picking & corn mazing & pumpkin carving.
I hope you won't fear the unknown as you grow older. I hope you'll be an explorer in your faith, your education, your travels, your food, & your loves.
I wish you happy & safe travels in life.
I love you so,
Mommy
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