My daughter, Avelle (uh-vel), is the inspiration behind every Elle Grey Story. She's why they started and the reason new ones will be written! You see, I have two boys; one just days from eighteen and another, just shy of twenty-one. But when my daughter was only four months old, I feared I may have the same number of years with her, so I wanted to be sure I could leave something behind for her that her dad could use to teach her all the things that were important to me. I wanted her to feel like her mom was still there with her, loving her through these words left behind for her.
I originally wrote sixteen stories but am now up to thirty-nine. I've written so much...Stories on values that would shape her character, stories to guide her and even more to protect her. Once the original sixteen were written, I read them to her dad, and he insisted that I share all of them! This was a very scary thought to me at first because each story had been written with this intense amount of love and for such personal reasons, that the idea of sharing them left me feeling very scared. But he was right...These stories could help start important conversations with children and their parents all over the world and some could even potentially save lives. That thought was amazing to me, so I swallowed any vulnerability I felt and released the fear with the hope that these stories would make a real difference in the world!
Avelle is turning three today, and I've spent all this time getting these stories meant only for her, ready to share with the world. These stories are real and honest, meant to help her through challenges I knew someday she'd someday face...Now they can do that for every child!
Not a single word was changed from the way I wrote them for her and now the time is near! This is the start of changing the world! And while I am feeling some vulnerability and a little fear; after all, I am bearing my heart and soul to the whole world with these stories, I would do it all again knowing that even ONE child beyond my own could be affected, guided and protected with even ONE story!
So, Happy Birthday my darling girl, thank you for inspiring me every day! I knew you coming into this world would completely change our lives, but there's no way I could have ever imagined just how much! I love you...more than you'll ever know!