Chana Esther
An Epistle to My Daughter, Esti, on the Occassion of Her Eighth Grade Graduation:
Chana Esther, you were named after my Oma, Chana, Johanna Frank Hirschfeldt. She was a strong and determined woman, not merely making it out of Hitler’s war-torn Germany, but rescuing my Opa from the horrors of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp on her way out. She spent most of her adult life owning and operating her own dry cleaning store at a time when it was unheard of for women to be entrepreneurs.
Esti, you possess many of your great-grandmother’s uniquely wonderful qualities. Your strength in the face of adversity is an impressive quality that is so rare in young teens who are often susceptible to peer pressure. Regardless of the fact that “everyone” you know is doing the popular thing, you have proven time and again that your values are unwavering. You will stand up for what you feel is right, regardless of the friendships that it costs you. This is a trait that I admire more than you’ll ever know. It’s so difficult for an adult to do that, and you, a teenager, do it with astonishing steadfastness.
You are passionate. You put everything you have into projects you take on, and it shows. You excel at whatever you attempt, and you make it look effortless. Perhaps that is why you have become the pied piper of Houston, with small children everywhere begging to have only you as their babysitter. You are so well loved by children and their parents alike. You have a raw artistic talent that shines through in your love of photography and music. Please don’t ever lose that.
Esti, please know that I have always loved you. The past three years without you have been a painful struggle for me. I have no doubt that in the next four years you will soar academically and socially. As you grow and mature you will come to realize that not everything in life is black or white. Hashem has created the world with so many beautiful shades of grays, reds, blues, yellows and everything in between. Remember that your opinion is not the only way of thinking. When a friend is doing things that you consider wrong, it is ok to condemn her actions without condemning her as a human being. We were all created in Hashem’s image, but with that said, we are all still human. Even you are flawed. Those flaws are what make you the unique and beautiful young woman who you have become.
Esti, I love you with a fierceness that you will not understand until you have children of your own one day. It is my wish that as you mature, you allow me to show that love to you. That you accept me for the imperfect person that I am. But regardless of what happens, I will always love you.
Mommy
Chana Esther, you were named after my Oma, Chana, Johanna Frank Hirschfeldt. She was a strong and determined woman, not merely making it out of Hitler’s war-torn Germany, but rescuing my Opa from the horrors of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp on her way out. She spent most of her adult life owning and operating her own dry cleaning store at a time when it was unheard of for women to be entrepreneurs.
Esti, you possess many of your great-grandmother’s uniquely wonderful qualities. Your strength in the face of adversity is an impressive quality that is so rare in young teens who are often susceptible to peer pressure. Regardless of the fact that “everyone” you know is doing the popular thing, you have proven time and again that your values are unwavering. You will stand up for what you feel is right, regardless of the friendships that it costs you. This is a trait that I admire more than you’ll ever know. It’s so difficult for an adult to do that, and you, a teenager, do it with astonishing steadfastness.
You are passionate. You put everything you have into projects you take on, and it shows. You excel at whatever you attempt, and you make it look effortless. Perhaps that is why you have become the pied piper of Houston, with small children everywhere begging to have only you as their babysitter. You are so well loved by children and their parents alike. You have a raw artistic talent that shines through in your love of photography and music. Please don’t ever lose that.
Esti, please know that I have always loved you. The past three years without you have been a painful struggle for me. I have no doubt that in the next four years you will soar academically and socially. As you grow and mature you will come to realize that not everything in life is black or white. Hashem has created the world with so many beautiful shades of grays, reds, blues, yellows and everything in between. Remember that your opinion is not the only way of thinking. When a friend is doing things that you consider wrong, it is ok to condemn her actions without condemning her as a human being. We were all created in Hashem’s image, but with that said, we are all still human. Even you are flawed. Those flaws are what make you the unique and beautiful young woman who you have become.
Esti, I love you with a fierceness that you will not understand until you have children of your own one day. It is my wish that as you mature, you allow me to show that love to you. That you accept me for the imperfect person that I am. But regardless of what happens, I will always love you.
Mommy
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