Willow Heart
“She believed she could, so she did. Take pride in how far you've come. Have faith in how far you can go. You are capable of achieving anything you set your mind to.”
“You kept every dreadful drawing I ever did and put the worst of them on the fridge. They are still in that drawer. I looked. You never threw out a single one.”
“I have cheered from a lot of bleachers, auditoriums and front rows. The seats have changed over the years, but the fan in them has not.”
“They handed you to me and I had no idea what I was supposed to do next. I have had all these years to work that out and I am still mostly guessing.”
“This year changed a lot of things, but it did not change us. If anything, it showed me how strong we are when we stand together.”
“We go entire months without speaking and it has never once meant anything. Ten minutes in a kitchen at a family thing and we are straight back where we were.”
“You have given me countless reasons to be proud, but the proudest moment is telling others you're my daughter. Happy birthday! Always keep me in your heart, for you are always in mine. I love you forever and always.”
“I have never seen anyone be so strong and so soft at the same time. That is what becoming a mother has done to you, and it is beautiful.”
“You may have your own place now, but Sunday dinner is still at ours. Your seat at the table is not going anywhere, and neither is your mug.”
“Take the old couch, the spare mugs and anything else you want from the garage. It all feels better knowing it is helping you make a home of your own.”
“The first time you said my name, I felt about ten feet tall. You still have that effect on me, every single day we spend together.”
“I have made plenty of decisions in my life, and not all of them were good. Marrying you was the best one by a mile, and I knew it from the start.”
“Every year brings some good news and some not so good news. But the day you were born is still the best news this family has ever had.”
“We are going to be very old people in a smaller house with a louder television. I have thought about it more than I have ever let on, and I am not worried.”
“You care for strangers all day, and you still come home and care for us. I do not know how you do it, but I am thankful every single day.”
“Every year you tell me the lights are crooked, and every year you are right. I have never fixed them, because I love hearing you say it.”
“I have had jobs I liked and jobs that were a waste of a good decade. It made less difference than it should have, because the drive home was the same.”
“I hope the drive home after a long shift gives you a few quiet minutes. Use them to remember how much good you did for people today.”
“Some of my favorite talks with you happened in the car, with nowhere to be. You told me things on those drives that you never said at the dinner table.”
“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.”
“You never unwrapped a present slowly in your whole life. There was paper everywhere, and it was the happiest mess I have ever seen.”
“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 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.”