I’m not a parent, so I can’t say as a parent you hope to….

But I am an aunt, and as an aunt, I hope to teach my nieces the beauty of themselves and the beauty of the world. I hope to share my love of the ocean, the night skies, traveling and music with them.

My youngest niece, Taylor, is three and she already loves music and I’m working on the others.

My oldest niece, Riley, the more I follow along her journey, I see my influences. She loves the night sky and when she told me she wanted to go into astronomy, I cried. She loves to travel and her love of music mirrors my own. She goes through her phases as both her mom and I did. My sister and her husband is just as musically passionate so I can’t take all the credit. I discovered this week, she also wants to be a photographer, something I was passionate about in high school, but never shared with her. Now, I can share what knowledge I have with her.

You hope to make a difference in the lives of your loved ones. Maybe touch them in a way where they can touch others. By watching the two brightest stars in my sky grow and share with the world, if I died tomorrow, I die proud of my life and for giving them permission to dream, believe, create, and have faith that their destiny is greatness.

Taylor singing along to her favorite, Eric Church