Dear Madilyn and Pierson,
Every year, Earth Day comes around with its reminders to reduce, reuse, recycle… to plant trees, pick up litter, protect the oceans. Yes, all of that is so very important. However, this year, I’ve found myself thinking less about the what and more about the why.
You two are my why.
I look at your bright eyes as you marvel at a butterfly landing on a flower, or chase waves with sandy toes and joyful giggles. I hear your endless questions — naturally curious, oftentimes hilarious, sometimes profound — and I can’t help but think about the kind of world I want you to grow up in.
READ: 8 Activities for a Meaningful Earth Day
I hope you always feel a deep connection to nature. I hope you keep noticing and admiring the quiet magic all around you. The way the sky turns a purply pink at sunset. The feel of rain gently kissing your skin, or the playful splash of water at your feet. The way clouds drift lazily across the sky, and how you love spotting shapes or calling out their names (yes, even cirrus or altocumulus). These are ordinary things that make life extraordinary. May you never be too busy to notice them.
I hope the beaches you love stay clean and enchanted, with dolphins still leaping in the distance and seashells still waiting to be discovered. I hope the oceans are healthy, the forests still full of chirping birds, and the air clean enough to breathe deeply without even thinking about it.
I hope you grow up with both gratitude and responsibility, knowing our Earth doesn’t need perfection from you — it needs tender loving care. It needs curiosity. It needs little explorers with big questions and even bigger hearts. It needs you to believe that your small actions matter.
When we talk about keeping the ocean clean to protect the turtles (your favorite animal), you nod so seriously, lovingly clutching onto Tooty the Turtle, who’s practically family by now. Anyone who knows our family knows Tooty goes everywhere with us. You always remind me, with such passion and care, that we need to protect their home, too. It’s remarkable how you’ve already learned that taking care of the Earth isn’t just a responsibility — it’s an act of love.
I hope you always enjoy planting things and aren’t ever afraid to get your hands dirty. I’ll never forget the way your faces lit up when you saw your first flowers bloom. Oh, how you watered them so gently, checked on them each day, and gave them names (of course!). You were so proud, and so connected to the life you helped grow.
I hope you never lose your imagination. You turn sticks into magic wands, leaves into artwork, and handfuls of sand and shells into the most creative treasures. I hope nature always feels like your playground, your classroom, and your inspiration.
When you look up, I hope the sky still fills you with awe. I’ll hold forever the sound of your sweet voices saying, “Look, Mommy, it’s a cumulonimbus!” You remind me of how much you’re soaking it all in, finding beauty in the science of it all.
When the world feels heavy (because sometimes it will), I hope you find comfort in knowing that change is possible. Just like one tree can become a forest, one person can spark a movement. Please remember that your voice matters — always.
I hope your daddy and I have done a good job showing you how to love this planet — not just with our words, but with the way we live. I hope the times we pick up trash on our beach walks or sandbar trips, recycle cardboard boxes into spaceships, or turn off the lights when we leave a room become more than just memories. I hope they become second nature, like the rhythm of the tides.
Above all else, I hope one day you get to raise your own children on a planet that’s even more beautiful than the one you inherited. That’s my biggest Earth Day wish for the two of you. I love you more than the miles of coastline we’ve yet to explore, more than the sunsets I hope we’ll watch together.
Happy Earth Day, babies.
xoxo,
Mommy
