To My Daisy, My Sunflower, My Marisa: A Graduation Letter from Mom

Michele Renee
Jun 30, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Jul 3, 2025

Graduation Letter, Memories, & Life Advice Love, Your Mother May 30, 2015

Eighteen years ago on May 30, 1997 my life changed forever. At 8:55 A.M. at Santa Rosa Northwest, I met my tiny miracle: a baby girl with a head full of dark hair, weighing 5 pounds, 14.8 ounces. She was everything I ever dreamed of. When I was just five years old, I already knew I’d have a daughter someday. And I already knew I’d name her Marisa.

The Daisy

The daisy your favorite flower has always reminded me of childhood innocence.

As we grow, we try to hold on to that innocence, but it slowly transforms into wisdom. And with wisdom, we begin to see the world in all its complexity. Try, my love, to preserve that beautiful innocence in your spirit as long as possible. People will try to take the best parts of you. Don’t let them. My best advice to you? Hold on to your innocence by fiercely embracing your individualism.

Our Memories I’ll forever cherish

all the moments we spent reading, talking, laughing, crying planning YouTube videos that always started “tomorrow.” All those wild dreams, Friday Night Cranks marathons, bass-blasting drives bumping NWA and Eazy-E, only to suddenly belt out Taylor Swift like it was our anthem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a11mSOg3zvk

We’ve spent so many days thinking, analyzing, questioning the world …

and you, my sweet girl, have always been my greatest success.

You are the kind of daughter who makes me feel like I’ve done something incredibly right in this life.

Our Family You’ve always been content just hanging out with family and close friends

and honestly, you’ve had the best of both.

Thank God for creating our family, where love always brings us back together.

When life knocks us down, we lift each other up.

We are gentle but fierce, strong but soft,

and there is no missing link we are better because we have each other.

One day, far into the future, you’ll create your own family and I hope it’s filled with just as much laughter, love, and joy. Your Beautiful Spirit You surround yourself with people who share your heart friends who are spiritual, understanding, and trustworthy. You truly attract what you give, and I’m so thankful for the energy you bring into the world and for those who love you for it. Even as a little girl, you found joy in “together time.”

It’s all the little moments that count. And I’m holding on to those moments... always.

My Sunflower

While daisies bring cheer, you remind me more and more of a sunflower strong, loyal, and radiant. Sunflowers are known for standing tall, always facing the light and you are exactly that. Even when you’ve been hurt, you’ve never lost your loyalty. You give your all when you love.

You see the best in others, and you shine light on what makes them great. Your compassion runs deep. Your heart? It pours love and grace into this world. You are the girl who never meets a stranger, who never looks down on a soul, and who lives to lift others higher.

You are a daisy. You are a sunflower. You are also a wild, free flower that grows with untamed passion and soulful energy.

My Sunshine I don’t know exactly where life will take you but I’m not worried. Because wherever you go, you will be great. You’ll take a piece of each of us with you. And the world? It’ll be better because you're in it. When you love, you love big.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/94b6f0_719b798ad618462a9cef4b2191306681/360p/mp4/file.mp4

When you're scared, you bow your head, pray, and remember your faith.