Every necklace
“I still think about those long summer days when you were little. Sandy feet, melting ice cream and you laughing until the sun went down.”
“There are three whole generations between your hands and mine. And every one of them carries something you started long before I arrived.”
“At three in the morning, with the baby finally asleep, I look over at you. And I think that I am the luckiest man in the whole world.”
“I made a promise about you when you were far too new to notice. I had no idea then that keeping it would turn out to be the easy part of it.”
“If I could give you one gift, it would be to see yourself through my eyes. You would see someone kind, brave and far more capable than you think.”
“Someday when the pages of my life end, you will be one of the most beautiful chapters. Stand tall, even if you fall. When life tries to knock you down, this old lion will always have your back.”
“Anybody can turn up for the parties. You turned up for the dull years too. The moves, the bad jobs, the weeks where nothing happened at all.”
“You taught our kids to read, to ride a bike and to say please. You would say it is just what teachers do. I say it is what great mothers do.”
“You have spent a year making sure everybody else today would be looked after. The seating and the meals and who would find it hard. All of it, for other people.”
“You spend your days taking care of everyone else, often for twelve hours straight. Today is for you. Put your feet up and let somebody take care of you.”
“You have walked more miles of hospital hallway than most people walk in a year. Tonight the shoes come off, the feet go up and I take care of you.”
“You have handed out a lot of grades, so here is one from me. Top marks for patience, kindness and believing in every kid in your class.”
“When I count my blessings at Christmas, you are always at the top of the list. You have brought more joy to my life than any gift under any tree.”
“I am grateful for a lot of things, and the day you were born is at the top of the list. Without it, I would never have known what it feels like to be this happy.”
“You'll always be my baby girl, no matter how old you get. Happy birthday! Take pride in how far you've come and have faith in how far you can go. I love you more than words can say.”
“All those years of nursing training, and now you are learning on the job. Trust your instincts. They have never let a patient down, and they will not start now.”
“You will make a hundred decisions on your own now, big ones and small ones. Trust yourself. You have better judgment than you give yourself credit for.”
“I still cannot explain what you do all day to anyone who asks me about it. This has never once stopped me telling them about it for twenty minutes.”
“Sorry is a hard word for me to say, and you know that better than anyone. So please know I mean it with everything I have. I am sorry.”
“Two sets of books on one shelf and neither of us can remember whose is whose. That happened so slowly that I never saw it happening, and I would not undo a page of it.”
“Someday I picture us on a porch in two old rocking chairs. Still talking, still laughing and still arguing about the thermostat.”
“Two simple rings and a few short words, and your whole life changes. I hope it changes into something even more wonderful than you pictured.”
“Wherever your new home is, we are still under the same sky. When you look up at night, know that I am probably thinking of you too.”
“From your crazy rants to your witty comebacks, you're comedy gold. Never lose that spark. Life's too short not to laugh, dance in the rain, and find something good in every day. I'm so proud of your joyful spirit.”