A Love Letter to My Nieces

To my beloved nieces,

I just got to spend time with all of you recently, and honestly—my heart is still so full. It brought me such joy to be around you, to witness the incredible humans you’re becoming. Every time I see you, I’m struck by your magic. You're growing up, each in your own way, and it’s both heart-melting and awe-inspiring.

If I’m being honest, I wish I saw you more. Life has a way of filling up—busy schedules, long drives, living in different cities or provinces—and I know we don’t get as much time together as I’d like. But I want you to know this: I am always here for you. Whether we talk all the time or go stretches without a visit, I am in your corner. And I will make more of an effort to show up. Because you matter to me. So much.

Being your aunt brings me so much joy. You’re each so wildly different, so beautifully your own, and it’s such a privilege to watch you grow.

L — you are curious and clever and thoughtful. I love the way your mind works.

A — you are bright and joyful and full of warmth. You light up a room.

R — you are quiet and steady, but don’t think we don’t notice the way people feel good just being around you.

M — you are a firecracker. The world is yours and we all know it.

When you smile at me or share something with me, my heart just swells. I get this mix of love and pride that’s hard to describe—but I hope you feel it, even if I don’t always say it out loud.

You remind me of myself sometimes—in the curiosity, the quiet, the uniqueness. But honestly? I think you’re already so much cooler than I ever was.

There are a few things I want you to know—things I wish I’d known sooner, and things I’m still learning myself.

Life isn’t always easy. Being a woman in this world isn’t always easy. But you come from a long line of strong, resilient women. That strength is already in you. And you’re surrounded—by family, by friends, by women who truly want to see you happy and thriving. Who will cheer for you when you chase your joy and pick you up when you fall.

Don’t let anyone make you feel like you are too much, or not enough. You are everything.

You are smart, unique, beautiful, warm, and perfect just as you are. And sure, that might shift and evolve over time—but wherever you end up, if you’re living honestly and true to what you need and want… you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

If no one has told you yet:
It’s okay to be quiet.
It’s okay to love cats more than people.
You can be exactly who you are and still be loved, chosen, and enough.

It took me a long time to learn those things. My own healing journey has been messy and beautiful, and it’s made me want to say all this out loud. I know how early the world starts to send us messages that we need to change or shrink. I just hope, with everything in me, that you always come back to your truth—and that you treat yourselves with kindness, especially in the moments when you feel uncertain or not enough.

And when that happens, please talk to someone. Me, if you want. Or anyone you trust. You don’t have to hold it all alone.

My hope for you isn’t a perfect life. It’s a full one. One where you find your place. One where you feel strong and soft and supported. One where you know that being real is far more important than being perfect.

I love you forever. I’m here—always.

Love,

Auntie Ruthie

This is a letter to them. It’s also a letter to the younger me. It’s a letter to you, too.

Who is the young person in your life you’d write a love letter to?
What would you want them to know?
And if you wrote a letter to yourself at that age, what would you say?

“Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyway.”
—Glennon Doyle