Today we celebrate the day of your birth and too soon, some of your childhood memories will have dimmed, tucked away in the attics of our minds. I write this letter to remind you of some of them, perhaps to stumble into long after you have outgrown your favorite toys.
I will always remember how when you were 4 years old, you got down on one knee, bowed your head with reverence and offered me a heart-shaped plastic ring and told me you were going to marry me. Here's a few of your precious quotes when you were 5-6 years old:
"Mommy, I'm getting good in swimming! Last week I swallowed water 8 times and today I swallowed water 2 times only!"
"Mommy, I get it now - God is the Father,Mary is the Mother, Jesus is the Son and the Holy Spirit is...the pet! Just like a family!"
"Mommy... we really have two hearts...one is for loving and doing good things and the other is for doing bad things. And everytime we do something good the "good" heart gets bigger and hopefully it will always be bigger than the "bad" heart."
"Mommy...do you know what FYI means? Well...FYI... I love you very much!"
For school we had to work on your use of punctuation marks. But really I am proud of you for looking at life as one big exclamation point! The other day as a scout activity you made a card for a boy who is battling cancer. You drew a really good picture of Yoda brandishing a sword in each hand and in bold letters you wrote, "Die you must NOT."
I love how you include other people outside our family in your nightly prayers - like the people in Japan, those who have died and even the sick children I take care of at work. I will always treasure that day you read to Lolo when we were in the Philippines during his last days and how he would nod his head even though he had his eyes closed when we asked him if you should continue reading.
And even though you and Jared have your moments of bickering that pushes me to the edge some days, always, always you are generous to him and willing to give up what is near and dear to you, just for him. We're still amazed at how we were playing hangman in the van on our road trip to Saint Louis over spring break and you were able to guess the word he had in mind even before I could put down a letter. Not just one time but 4 times! Not only that, a few days later you were hanging out with him in our room trying to put off taking a bath. He wanted us to guess what he was drawing and after only 2 strokes you right away knew what it was!
You are truly wise beyond your years, perceptive in ways that surprise me and your fire and passion in life I hope will serve you well in ways that count. You already know what is important - faith, love, and how to have fun without spending a lot.
I end this letter with the hope that you will never forget these lessons as you will need them later. More than ever. Remember that home is where your heart is, and you always have your own spot in mine.
Happy Birthday, child of mine.
Love,
Mom
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