A Letter To My Son On His Birthday

My son does not read my blog, nor has he ever expressed an interest in reading it, so I know he will not see this on his birthday. I hope that one day in the distant future he will read it and appreciate it.

Dear Trey,

Has it really been fourteen years since you came into our lives?


I'll save you the details of the long and painful labor and delivery that brought you into this world ( but you will hear them one day.. count on that) and just tell you how very blessed we have been since the day God gave you to us.

At the age of fourteen you are on the cusp between boyhood and becoming a man. I can hear it in the way your voice is changing and I can see it in the way that suddenly you are taller than me. Right now it is so important to you to fit in and be accepted by your peers. The part of you that is becoming a young man tries so hard to play it cool. No longer is it acceptable to hug your mom and tell her that you love her - that's okay, she knows. Girls have become interesting to you, and I no longer have to remind you to take care of your personal hygiene. I wondered if that day would ever come! But sometimes that part of you that is still clinging to boyhood comes out and I welcome it because I know it is just a matter of time before that little boy is all but gone.

I don't know what the future holds for you, but I know who holds your future and I pray daily that you will know that too. In your lifetime you will be faced with both joy and challenges. There will be times when you feel that life can't possibly get better and all is right in the world, and there are going to be times when you will be faced with things that will have you doubting yourself, humanity, and your faith. All I can tell you to prepare you for those times is to persevere. When you doubt yourself, know that there are people in this world that see your infinite potential and that wholeheartedly believe in you. When you doubt humanity remember that we can't control other people but we can control how we react to them and that in the end good will always triumph over evil. And when you doubt your faith just know that even when we don't feel him, God is always with us. He loves you too much to leave you and even though there are things in this life that we will never understand this side of heaven, all things work together for our good.

So as you start your fourteenth year on this earth I hope it will be filled with great memories and few trials. But most importantly, remember that your family loves you no matter what and we will always be here for you.

Happy Birthday Trey!