To my girls,
A little while ago, you both stepped onto those martial arts mats for your tournament. You were nervous, excited, and trying to remember everything your coaches taught you. I watched you walk out there with so much heart.
And then you learned a lesson every person eventually faces. You won’t always get first place. Sometimes you’ll give your best, and someone else will come out ahead. It doesn’t feel good, especially at your age, when every moment feels big and important.
But what you did next is what mattered.
You didn’t freeze. You didn’t crumble. You didn’t look for a way out. You just stood there for a moment with that look of uncertainty that only kids get, trying to understand what just happened, and then you kept going. You stepped back into the next round and gave the same effort again.
That showed more maturity than most adults manage.
Strength isn’t loud. It isn’t dramatic. It’s in the quiet moments where you choose to keep moving forward even when you didn’t get the result you hoped for.
At five and six, you already showed resilience people spend years trying to develop. You handled disappointment with calm, with composure, and with a willingness to continue.
As you grow, life will give you challenges far bigger than a tournament match. You’ll work hard for things and fall short sometimes. But remember that moment on the mats. Remember how you steadied yourselves and kept going. That’s real strength.
I’m proud of your effort. I’m proud of your courage. And I’m proud that even without the first place trophy, you walked away with something far more important, the understanding that resilience is already part of who you are.
With all my love,
Dad
LETTERS TO MY DAUGHTERS 