You are going to be magnificent
A reflection on my daughter's birthday, and a new year blessing
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**Please be sure to participate in the poll at the bottom of this post regarding a recent idea I've had, and future plans.
“You are going to be magnificent.”
Five years ago yesterday, on the day she was born, I whispered these words to my daughter.
In the dimly lit quiet of the hospital room where I had confidently pulled her out of my body and onto my chest mere hours before, I spoke these words to her, knowing with every borrowed atom inside me that they were true.
Babies usually don't come until they're ready, and Sybil came exactly when I had asked her to; in between the bustle of the holidays, she arrived peacefully, and brought that peace to me and my husband in the quiet weeks of winter that followed in the new year.
Sleepless nights aside, the months after my daughter was born were beautiful and purposeful and joyful in a way that deep winter and early spring are usually not for me.
When I shared the news of her arrival and monthly photos with updates about her growth, I wrote that she was the most beautiful being I had ever seen, and she was. She still is (now alongside her brother, of course).
And on her first birthday, after our small gathering of family and friends had left our home and we sat together again in warmth and quiet, I told her about the day she was born, and then I whispered those words to her once more:
You are going to be magnificent.
Not because of anything I assumed she would someday accomplish, or because of the way she looked, or because of the peaceful nature and convenient timing of her entry into the world; I knew she would be magnificent because she already was.
So now, with the approaching new year, I am writing these words to you:
You are going to be magnificent.
No accomplishments required. There is nothing you need to do - nothing you need to start or finish or quit or promise or buy or sell or plan or be - to be worthy.
You are going to be magnificent because you already are.
If nothing else, I hope you'll carry these words with you into the coming year and know with every borrowed atom inside you that they are true, as I do.
I hope this has found you well and that you find peace in the final moments of this year. Please be sure to check out the poll below, and know that you are so welcome to join us in the comments. And as always, feel free to share if this resonated with you!
✨️Poll✨️
I know many of you have found me thanks to my monthly roundup posts. People seem to really enjoy the links section, where I share recent work I've found and loved from other writers here on Substack, and it's one of my favourite parts of this community and my work here.
The other day, I had an idea for an ongoing series of posts in a similar vein - to spotlight individual writers I love and what is special about their work. This will allow me to properly gush about each of these writers and potentially introduce them to new readers.
The only thing I'm on the fence about is how to implement this. I don't want to overwhelm anyone, so I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Would you like to see this series as its own regular section within Writing Wilder (so you can opt in or out and still find it here), or would you like to see it as its own completely separate publication?
Whether you're brand new here or have been part of this community for a while, I hope you'll share your opinion in the poll and comments. There are no wrong answers, so please be honest. I feel so hopeful about this next step and would love to have your help as I navigate it.
What a thoughtful and lovely tribute to your daughter for her birthday! And I soooo love that you told her, "you are going to be magnificent!" What magical affirming words!
Happy birthday, sybil.