Linden Knot
“You do not have to be perfect to make me proud. You made me proud the day you were born, and you have never stopped.”
“You took me apart in an argument about politics when you were still at school. I went up annoyed and spent the rest of that evening quietly delighted.”
“You have given me so many reasons to be proud but my proudest is telling others that you are my mom.”
“Even on a freezing morning of recess duty, you still find a way to smile. Those kids will not remember the weather. They will remember you.”
“Straighten your crown and keep going. You have given me so many reasons to be proud of the woman you've become. I want you to know my heart walks with you even when my arms cannot.”
“Before you start the next big thing, take a few days to just rest. You have earned a break, a good meal and a lot of sleep.”
“You gave me the work before I was ready for any of it and then let me struggle. You were always close enough to catch it and you never once reached in.”
“Somewhere there is a kid who finally loves to read because you did not give up. You will probably never hear about it, so I wanted to say it for them.”
“Every scraped knee in this house gets seen by a professional. The kids have no idea how lucky that makes them, but I do.”
“Today I keep thinking of the little kid who never once gave up. She is still in there, and she just walked across that stage in a cap and gown.”
“He is kind in the small and unglamorous ways that nobody ever gets thanked for. That does not arrive by accident. It gets taught, slowly, by someone patient.”
“Thank you for being patient with me while I figured out how to apologize. You deserved better from me, and I know it.”
“You put a note in my bag when you were small and I read it at work. Two of the words were spelled wrong and I have never had a better day.”
“You have heard every one of my jokes at least a hundred times. And you still laugh, or at least you roll your eyes in a loving way.”
“You are starting a home of your own with the person you love. I hope you still call me about big decisions, good news and nothing in particular.”
“There is still a drawing of yours on the fridge, and I am not taking it down. It is a horse, or maybe a dog. Either way, it is my favorite piece of art.”
“I do not like how we left things, and I know most of that is on me. I am sorry. Let us sit down tonight, just the two of us, and talk it through.”
“I did not plan on any of this and I certainly did not plan on you. Somewhere between then and now I got completely tangled up in it.”
“Our kids have the best bedside manner in town waiting for them at home. Every sniffle gets a cup of tea, a cool hand and a bedtime story.”
“For a lot of those kids, your classroom is the best part of their day. Coming home to you is the best part of mine.”
“People say the first years of a marriage are the best. They have not met us. Every year with you has been better than the last one.”
“You told me about a student who finally got it, and you were glowing for days. That glow is why you teach, and it is why I am so proud of you.”
“Today you are off duty, and the rest of us are running the house. Put your feet up and let us handle the noise for one day.”
“Of all the lessons you will ever teach, the first one is the easiest. You are teaching our baby what it feels like to be completely loved.”