Family
“When you were little, you helped me bake your birthday cake and ate half the frosting. It was lopsided, it was perfect, and I still think about it every year.”
“You told me the same story about that summer more times than I can count. I have started telling it to other people now, and I get the details right.”
“Hang your pictures, water your plants and lock the door at night. That is all the advice I have, except that you can always call home.”
“I read you a lot of bedtime stories that ended with happily ever after. Today I get to watch yours begin, and it is better than any of them.”
“There will be easy years and hard ones, and both are part of the story. Through all of them, hold on to each other and do not let go.”
“I've given you roots to keep you grounded in love and values. Now spread your wings and soar. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and more capable than you know.”
“The house never feels quite like Christmas until you walk through the door. Then the lights look brighter, the food tastes better, and everything feels right.”
“I know you check the forecast for a snow day just as hard as your students. I hope you get one, and I hope you spend it in your pajamas.”
“I miss the nights of hot cocoa and the same old Christmas movies. Wherever you are this year, I hope you make a cup and think of me.”
“Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. You believed you could, so you did. Be proud of the work you've done, the person you've become, and the difference you will make. I will always believe in you.”
“As this year ends, I find myself thinking about how far you have come. You worked hard, you stayed kind, and you never stopped growing.”
“You counted her fingers the way I once counted yours. You looked up, and for the first time you knew exactly how I love you.”
“Distance means so little when someone means so much. I may not carry you in my arms anymore. But I will always carry you in my heart, even when my arms cannot.”
“I know about the long shifts and the hard days you do not always talk about. You carry so much for other people, and you do it with so much grace.”
“I'm not perfect. I'll make mistakes, say the wrong things, and sometimes let you down. But you'll never find anyone who loves you as much as I do. I'm sorry for the times I hurt you.”
“I hope you believe in yourself as much as I believe in you. Wherever your journey in life may take you, always be brave and strong. Just know that when life gets tough, your dad will always have your back.”
“I have bought you years of bad presents and you thanked me for all of them. This one took me longer than all of those put together, which is not saying much.”
“I blinked, and the little kid who followed me everywhere became a grown woman. I miss that kid sometimes, but I like the person she grew into even more.”
“There is no birthday today and no holiday. I checked the calendar twice. I just wanted you to have something that says what I do not say enough.”
“I came into your life partway through, and you let me stay. That was your choice to make and you made it, and I am still grateful for it.”
“I get the version of you that does not have to ask anybody for permission. No curfew, no homework, and no reason for you to pretend anything is fine when it is not.”
“Your father was a great deal of trouble and I was far too busy to notice most of it. I am not busy now. That is the only reason I have seen everything you have done.”
“I am an old man now and I would still stand in front of anyone who came at you. You have not needed that for a long time, and I have not put it down.”
“The day you told me you wanted to be a nurse, I knew you meant it. Through every exam and every clinical shift, you proved it over and over.”