To My Girls: I Hope You Dance

This post may seem like I'm taking the easy way out. I'm not. At least not intentionally.

I've been pondering today's word prompts - Innocent and Dance - for over a week. I've thought of lots of different angles. Every time I sit down at my keyboard, though, I keep coming back to the song, "I Hope You Dance" performed by LeeAnn Womack in 2000.

At one point, I thought I would take the words to the song and change them; expand on them; somehow make it different. Then, I re-read the lyrics and thought to myself, "These words are already quite perfect. How could I possibly change them into anything better?"

It also occurred to me that I'm not sure my girls have ever really listened to the words of this song or that I have ever really said them directly to my sweet daughters. After all, when the song was released in 2000, none of them were born yet.

As a writer sometimes you just have to "go with your gut" even (maybe especially) when that is not what's expected. Since, we are just days a way from a new school year with my younger two entering a new school and my oldest in her final year of middle school, I'm feeling a little sappy; a little misty. So, today, I'm using someone else's words to express my own feelings and hope for my girls' future. As the old saying goes, if it's not broken, why fix it?

So, girls, I hope today you will hear this song - really hear it - read the words, and know that, from the bottom of my heart, I truly do hope you dance in every sense of the word and, if you're ever in need of a partner, I'll be right here! XOXOXO 

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,

May you never take one single breath for granted,

GOD forbid love ever leave you empty handed,

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',

Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',

Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,

When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,

Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

Dance....I hope you dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance..

(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along

Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone) 

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This post was part of the One Word Blog Linkup hosted by, Janine of Confessions of a Mommyaholic and me! This week, the word prompt choices were Blessing and Absurd. If you would like to join the linkup you can find more information HERE, sign up for weekly emails HERE, and/or join our Facebook group HERE. Every Friday, two prompts are emailed. Choose one and write a post using that word as inspiration. Linkup up any time between 6:00am EST on Wednesday-9:00pm EST on Thursdays on any of the host sites.

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