Every necklace
“You watched every name on this chain learn to walk. None of us remembers it. You were there for all three.”
“I will probably send you home with leftovers every time you visit. It is not because I think you cannot cook. It is because I miss feeding you.”
“You have taught hundreds of kids, and somehow you still have lessons for me. Patience, kindness and how to really listen all came from watching you.”
“You carried so much this year, and you never once asked for thanks. So please let me carry a little more now, while you finally rest.”
“I would have been my own father all over again if you had not been there. You did not correct me. You just went first and let me copy you quietly.”
“Our kids do not know yet how lucky they are to have you. One day they will, and they will thank you for all of it.”
“You spend your shifts making sure everyone else is comfortable and safe. Today it is your turn, so let me take care of you for a change.”
“Always remember you are smarter than you think and loved more than you know. When you feel overwhelmed, remember whose daughter you are and straighten your crown. Have faith in yourself and never stop trying.”
“You always talked about the teacher who made you love learning. Now you get to be that teacher for someone else, and you will be wonderful.”
“Your students probably think you are about a hundred years old. To me you will always be the kid who lined up her dolls and taught them spelling.”
“You tried to tell me something important, and I was too busy being right to hear it. I have thought about it every day since, and you deserved better.”
“There is a date in the diary now and a great deal of admin to get through. None of it changes one single thing that I decided a very long time ago.”
“You have been quietly getting me ready for this since long before there was a date. Not the dress or the flowers. The part about how to stay kind when it is difficult.”
“Every year I call you on your birthday and sing, badly, whether you want me to or not. This year I wanted to give you something you can keep longer than a song.”
“In the darkest hour, when the demons come, call on me and we will fight them together. Stand tall, even if you fall. You are stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and more capable of achieving anything you set your mind to.”
“Even on your birthday, you will probably be looking after someone else. So let this card look after you for a minute, and remind you how loved you are.”
“Today everyone in that room will be looking at me, and I will be looking for you. You have been getting me ready for this since long before there was a date.”
“There will be a lot of people at your wedding who love you. None of them have loved you as long as I have, and none of them are prouder.”
“You know how stubborn I can be, so you know this card is serious. I am sorry. You were hurt, and that is the last thing I ever want.”
“Make your new place yours. Paint a wall, hang your pictures, burn a dinner. Every home I ever loved started out empty and a little scary.”
“I wish I could take back the last few days and do them all over. Since I cannot, I will make the next ones better. I am truly sorry.”
“They say you should marry your best friend, and today you are. I hope you laugh together every day, just the way you do now.”
“You used to play dress up in my old hats and marry the dog. Today you are marrying someone a lot more suitable, and I could not be prouder.”
“You teach all day, then come home and help with homework without a single sigh. Well, maybe one sigh. But you never stop believing in them, or in me.”