Every necklace
“Believe in yourself, and remember you only fail when you stop trying. Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.”
“Someday when the pages of my life end, I know you'll be one of the most beautiful chapters. I hope you believe in yourself as much as I believe in you. My heart walks with you and holds you even when my arms cannot.”
“No matter how old you get, you will always be my kid. And I will always be the first one in line to cheer for you.”
“Today there is no schedule, no chores and no list of things to do. There is only whatever you want, for as long as you want it.”
“I was hard on you about the grades and I thought I was doing you a favor. You turned out clever in ways nothing at school ever measured, and I was wrong.”
“I hope the schedule was kind and you are not working on your birthday this year. And if you are, I will have cake and a warm hug waiting when you get home.”
“Your kindness at work is a gift that does not need any wrapping. You give it every shift, and it means more to people than you will ever know.”
“I am far enough down the family tree from you that none of this is required of me. I have been paying attention anyway, from a polite distance, the whole time.”
“We have built one garden, three fences and a kitchen that nearly ended us. I would start all of it again tomorrow with the same person holding the other end.”
“Nobody expects you to be a perfect mother, least of all me. Our baby just needs you, and you are already more than enough.”
“Nobody gave us a manual, and some nights we are making it up as we go. But every time I look over, you are doing it with more love than I knew existed.”
“We have never once divided anything down the middle or counted whose turn it was. One of us picks it up when the other cannot, and that is the whole system.”
“You did most of it while nobody was watching and nobody was saying thanks. I was far too young to notice then. I have had years to work it out since.”
“We spent a decade driving each other completely up the wall over nothing. And none of it left a mark, which is the part I find myself thinking about.”
“I had read everything and planned all of it and none of that survived the first hour. You changed the plan without once making me feel like something had gone wrong.”
“Your parents have to do the rules and the worrying and all of the hard talks. I get the kitchen table and the long afternoons and none of the lecturing.”
“You have opinions I did not give you and you argue them better than I would. That was always the point, though nobody warns you how odd it feels to watch.”
“You do not look a day older than the night I met you. I know you will say I am biased, and you would be completely right.”
“You learned which chair she likes and which program she watches and what she takes in it. None of that is in any job description. You went and learned it all anyway.”
“Mostly because you're too heavy now and my back can't take it! Stand tall, even if you fall. When life tries to knock you down, this old lion will always have your back. You shine like the brightest star, kiddo.”
“I have not been my best lately, and you have borne the brunt of it. None of it was your fault, and you did not deserve my short temper.”
“You write the grocery list, and I always come home with something that is not on it. You pretend to be annoyed, but I have seen you smile.”
“Nothing we argued about was worth making you feel the way I did. I am sorry. I would rather lose every argument than lose a day with you.”
“I used to slip little notes into your lunchbox when you were in school. You are a little old for that now, so consider this card the grown up version.”