My daughter belongs to God
and is loved by God.
She is God’s gift,
entrusted to my care.

I will love her,
protect her,
teach her,
and guide her.

I will accept her
and enjoy her now,
as well as in all the days to come,
as she grows fully into the woman
God created her to be.

I will keep my life balanced between
work and play,
reason and feeling,
dream and reality,
just as I wish for her.

The best gift I can give my daughter
is to show her how to love
and how to be loved.

September 1993