To Our Daughter, Morowuntodun Morningstar Dosumu
Some people spend a lifetime leaving footprints on the hearts of those who love them.
You did it before you ever opened your eyes.
Before we held your tiny hands,
we held dreams of you.
Before we heard your laughter,
we imagined the sound of it filling our home.
Before you took your first step,
you had already changed the direction of our lives.
Your room existed in our hearts long before it existed in our home.
We spoke about you.
We prayed for you.
We waited for you.
We loved you.
And though we never heard you cry,
our hearts will forever echo with the love we had for you.
Morowuntodun,
your name means "I have found something sweet again."
To us, you were that sweetness.
You were proof that God still gives beautiful gifts.
Even though we held you for only a moment,
you will remain our daughter for a lifetime.
Morningstar,
you came like the first light before sunrise.
Your time with us was brief,
yet your light will never truly fade.
One day, people may ask how many children we have.
The world may count differently,
but in our hearts, the answer will always include you.
You will always be our first daughter.
You will always be part of our family.
You will always be loved.
We will wonder whose smile you would have had.
Whether you would have loved to read,
to dance like your mum,
to sing like your mum ( your dad is a terrible single who thinks/wish he can),
or to chase your father around the house.
We will wonder what your favourite colour would have been,
what dreams you would have carried,
and what kind of woman you would have become.
Those questions may never have answers,
but our love for you never needed them.
Thank you for making us a mother and a father.
Thank you for reminding us that love is not measured by years,
but by the depth with which it is given.
Until the day we meet again,
rest peacefully, our beautiful daughter.
You will never be forgotten.
You will always be loved.
Morowuntodun Morningstar Dosumu.
Forever our daughter. Forever in our hearts.