Elm Halo
“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.”
“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 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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“I still wake up early on Christmas morning, even though nobody races down the stairs now. Some habits stay with a dad, like listening for the sound of your feet.”
“This was not the year either of us planned, not even close. But we held on to each other, and that turned out to be enough.”
“This year asked more of us than any year before it, and it did not ask nicely. You kept holding my hand through all of it, even on the days you were tired.”
“I met a great many people first and not one of them was anything like wrong. They were just not this, and I did not understand the difference at all until you.”
“People keep asking whether I worry about what the world is going to be like for you. I have met you. I worry a good deal more about what the world is in for when you arrive.”
“Always keep me in your heart, for you are always in mine. I'm sorry for the pain I've caused. Please forgive me. You are one of the most beautiful chapters in my life, and I cherish you always.”
“There will be days that test you and days that feel too heavy to face on your own. Remember how far you have come, how deeply you are loved, and how many believe in you.”
“For all the prayers I ever prayed, you are truly the answer. Have faith that you will never lose. You either win or learn. Aim for the skies. I hope you believe in yourself as much as I believe in you.”
“The house is a lot quieter now, and I have stopped pretending I do not notice. But every time you tell me about your new place, I can hear how happy you are.”
“You sat through every wrong one and never said a word you could not take back. Then you met this one and rang me the next morning to say so, which is enough.”
“We make a pretty good team, you and me. You handle the big picture, I handle the spiders, and somehow it all works.”
“I was at your table so often that you just quietly stopped counting me a guest. There was always a plate going and nobody ever made me ask for one.”
“Everybody here today met me somewhere along the way. You knew me first. Before the dress and the speeches and the whole of this, there was just us two.”
“There were days this year when giving up would have been easier. You never did, not on this family and not on me, not for one day.”
“When I lost the job I was no use to anyone for about four months. You ran the whole house and never made me feel like a man being carried.”
“When it all nearly fell apart in march you were the one who picked up the phone. You did not tell me it would be fine. You asked what needed doing and did it.”
“When I rang you at an unreasonable hour you did not ask why I had not rung home. You just said you were awake, which I am fairly certain was not true.”