Letters to my stepdaughters.

I have recently decided to write letters to my two stepdaughters. We already write to them every time we go on a trip, and I send emails to the eldest. But we mostly talk on the phone.

But these postcards and phone talks are something the husband and I do together. Don't get me wrong. I love it. But I wanted to do something special for the girls. Just me. The Canadian gets to go back and see them a lot more than I do, and I miss them dearly. I want them to know that. Especially since they are children, and our situation is not the easiest to deal with when you are so young. I want them to know that even though I don't see them as often as I would like to, they are in my heart.

I don't have many options, so I decided to write a letter or a card to each of them every week. Snail mail is always fun. I remember the very few times I spent a vacation away from my parents as a child, my mom would send me these beautiful cards and write letters with stories that would go on from a letter to the next, with pretty drawings and sweet, tiny details. Each letter was so full of love. And with half of their family living across the Atlantic for another few months, these little girls need letters full of love more than I ever did.

I have been having a lot of fun choosing cards, carefully selecting the ones I think each of the girls would like the most, buying pretty stamps, finding small gifts I could slip into the envelopes, putting Strawberry Shortcakes stickers next to their names and addresses... I really hope these simple little letters will carry my big message.

If my letters bring a smile to their faces, if they wait for the next one, if they know they are loved.. then I'll be the happiest stepmom.