Sweet Sixteen Our Diamond in the Rough

By Dolly Hebert Clark Webster Kallio

My mom gave me this letter her gift to me on my sixteenth birthday, I have had it now for 41 years the original letter.  It is yellowed now but still readable. It was the best gift I ever got from her and treasued the most.  

 SWEET SIXTEEN OUR DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

A perfect diamond is a rare and beautiful gem, sparkling and catching the light in all it's facets. a gem desired by many, but the best is only obtained by few.

 A woman can be compared to the diamond but only a few can ever hope to reach the pinnacle of perfection of the perfect diamond. No rather I'd venture to say that none has ever attained that goal except perhaps in the eyes of her children while they are yet small. For in time the little flaws begin to emerge, even to those who love her the most. But the flaws tend to add to her character and indiviuality. Some women are like the diamond in the rough, her inner beauty and talents hidden from the world but the potential of gem quality could be there and may only need the chipping away of an expert, but gentle handling to bring out the sparkling qualities hidden inside.

A woman has many facets just as the diamond has, a wife and mother, perhaps is the closest to being complete as a person and closer to utilizing all the facets in her being than any other. Though there are many many women who may compete with me, and feel whole as a woman being single or married though childless, these women may never know the contentment of a happy wife and mother.  But they do not know; that they do not know. So are happy none-the-less in their own incompleteness. The little flaw in their own character.

Here are different facets of different diamonds, each with it's own sparkle and lovliness obtained by no other. Even the tinest diamond has all the facets, sparkling beauty and qualities of the larger gems. Plus it has it's very own character and is just as precious to it's owner.

Even the tiniest of little girls have the inborn nature of her potential womanhood, the careful training and development of character incurred in her early years, and as she grows will eventually determine the quality and quanity of perfection as a young woman she will attain.

Just as an almost perfect diamond can be shattered during the cutting process, if not carefully done, so can a young life be shattered by improper training. But a diamond is an inanimate stone. A girl is life and more precious to those who love her than many beautiful stones.  No matter the value in terms of money & material worth.

Being a life she has also has a mind, and so must determine how her own particular life will be lived. What goals she will seek, what perfection of womanhood to her as an indiviual.  Will she allow the world to chip away at her particular facets of life and bring about flaws in her character?  Or will she choose carefully all the right and good ways and things and thus emerge as a lovely gem of near perfection.  She alone must choose.   Love always Mama.