Every necklace
“You pull a face when you concentrate that you have never once seen. I have been looking at it across kitchen tables for half of my life.”
“Every year I try to be the first one to wish you a happy birthday. So if this card arrives early, now you know who won the race.”
“On your first birthday you blew out one candle and clapped for yourself. I have been clapping for you ever since, and I do not plan to stop.”
“You were the first friend I ever had, and nobody had to arrange it. We were handed each other, and we have kept choosing each other ever since.”
“Something good happens and my first thought is never actually the thing itself. It is wanting to get home and tell you before I have told anyone else at all.”
“At three in the morning I hear you singing quietly in the next room. You are exhausted, and you still sound like the kindest person I have ever met.”
“The first voice I ever knew was yours, and it is still the one I hear. It turns up whenever I am deciding something difficult, and it helps.”
“My heart walks with you and holds you even when my arms cannot. On your special day, remember you will never lose. You either win or learn. Aim for the skies, sweetheart. Happy birthday!”
“You see the good in every child who walks into your classroom. Our own kids get that same gift every day, and it shows in who they are becoming.”
“Somewhere tonight, a family is resting easier because of you. You may never hear about it, but the good you do travels a long way.”
“I hope you believe in yourself as much as I believe in you. Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you know.”
“You never unwrapped a present slowly in your whole life. There was paper everywhere, and it was the happiest mess I have ever seen.”
“I remember the class that nearly made you quit, and the night you stayed. That night taught you more than any textbook ever could.”
“Our house has noise, mess and far too many shoes by the door. It also has a warmth that everyone feels the moment they walk in.”
“You have your own keys now, your own front door and your own rules. The key to our house still works, and it always will.”
“You spent years learning how to teach, and you never stopped being curious yourself. That is the kind of teacher kids remember for the rest of their lives.”
“I see you at the kitchen table late at night, cutting out letters and planning lessons. Your students will never know how much love goes into each one.”
“You teach a room full of kids every day, but you have taught me a lot too. Mostly about patience, and how far a little kindness can go.”
“Some people walk into a room and make it a little brighter. You have been doing that since the day you learned to walk.”
“Slowly, the light is coming back into our days, and I can see it in your smile. That smile is the best thing I have seen all year.”
“You remember how I take my coffee and which old songs make me smile. It is the little things you do that tell me how much you care.”
“I have been given credit for a great deal that was half yours or more than half. I have let people think it because it was easier than telling the longer story.”
“Your desk is probably covered in mugs, candles and cards from twenty small fans. Here is one more, from the fan who has been cheering for you the longest.”
“I saw the light under your door on all those late nights of studying. You never asked for applause. You just kept going until you finished.”