Linden Knot
“You spent years getting ready for the world, and now it is your turn. Go out there and show everyone what I have known all along.”
“This Christmas I wish you rest, good food and people who make you laugh. I wish you a new year that is even kinder to you than you hope.”
“I said something in the heat of it that I would give anything to take back. It was not true, and you did not deserve to hear it from me.”
“I let small things get in the way of what matters most, and that is you. I am sorry, and I am ready to do better, starting today.”
“You are the only person who tells me when I am being an idiot. Everyone else has either given up or decided it is not worth the trouble.”
“I love watching you laugh with our kids when you think no one is looking. Those are the moments I fall in love with you all over again.”
“You still make my heart jump every time you walk into the room. I hope today feels as special as you make every ordinary day feel to me.”
“I do not say it often enough, so I am writing it down where you can keep it. You are kind, you are brave, and you are funnier than I will ever be.”
“I know I ask too many questions about the car and the tires and the route. It is not that I think you cannot manage. It is the only way I know how to say it.”
“When you were little, your birthday list was longer than the fridge door. I could never get you everything on it, but I hope you always knew you had my heart.”
“In case nobody told you today, you are doing a great job. Our baby is fed, loved and safe, and that is all because of you.”
“I always want the last word, and this time it cost us a good evening. So here is the last word from me, and it is simply that I am sorry.”
“I always trusted you to choose someone who would treat you kindly. Watching the two of you together, I know you chose exactly right.”
“You made it to winter break, and I know how hard you worked to get here. No lesson plans, no grading and no alarm clock for two whole weeks.”
“I had no idea at all what I was doing and you had plainly done it a thousand times. You never once made me feel like the thousandth one. You stayed in the room.”
“The day was busy and the ward was full and you still never once rushed me. You explained it all twice without being asked, and you did it very kindly.”
“Everything I know about loving someone properly I learned in our kitchen. Not from anything you ever said about it. From watching how you did it.”
“My parents always had to be careful with me. You never bothered with that. You told me straight, and you did it kindly, and I listened every time.”
“Somebody will stand on the dress and something will go missing by eleven. You will have the safety pins and the bandages and will not make any fuss of it.”
“You inherited my sense of humor and made it even better. Remember: you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and funnier than you think. Keep spreading joy wherever you go, sweetheart.”
“I made a playlist for your birthday of every song that reminds me of you. It ran over four hours, which says a lot about how often you are on my mind.”
“When you were little, you made me sit at your toy desk and take your quizzes. I failed most of them, and you were a very strict teacher.”
“You have taught hundreds of kids, but your newest student is the most demanding. No lesson plans, no breaks and all the love you have to give.”
“You are strong in a quiet way that not everyone notices. I notice, and I have admired it since you were very small.”