Birthday Blessings, Bubbba!

April 18, 2019

Dear Bubba,

Happy 14th Birthday, son!! Today marks the beginning of your 14th year. . .a year that will begin with endings as you prepare to promote to high school!  Three years of middle school have come and gone--soon you will be a Freshman at Bonita HIgh School! I can not even begin to tell you how proud of you I am. As a student, as a Web Leader, as an athlete, as a brother, and as a son. You've always had a giant heart, sought out the lonely, the bullied, those deemed different from others. I've admired that about you. You do what is right. You go against the grain and you genuinely are such a good boy.

This year has been rough. Friends are growing and changing stretching and you feel like your turn will never come. You pray to grow. And you will, son. God's timing is generally different from the time frame we want, So I just encourage you to embrace who God made you to be for now. To know you will stretch and grow eventually and not to stay focused on the height you are right now. Do the things you rhink you can't. Enjoy working our side by side with Dad. Embrace the lessons and training high school soccer camp will offer you. Be open to new opportunities and be positive that your high school years will be some of the best of your life!

You have exceeded our expectations with your studies. Honor roll, doing everything on your own, not needing to be pushed or tracked by us. This skill will help you in high school. You are ready, son! On the soccer field and track your God given skill has taken you far, now just listen to the coaches. Let them grow you as an athlete. Trust the process and be a good listener. We always can improve upon things, that is not a critisicm--it is a truth that applies to all of us. As a brother, stay connected to Ernie and Anthonu who will no longer be under our roof, but they are your male role models who will be there for you. As a little brother to Lene and a big brother to Nessa, stay involved. Talk to them, make time to do things with them. I want your relationship with your siblings to be even stronger than mine and dad's are with our siblings. Relationships take work. Invest the time and do the work now, This is holy, holy work, son.

Finally, this year you've really showed your compassion with G-pa and handloing their divorce with a wisdom and understanding I wish I had. I love that you want to see them happy and you inquire and talk to grandpa often to make him know that you are okay with whatever journey his life takes. Keep asking the questions, keep listening to the answers, and keep loving people, especially family members who may have disappointed you up to this point.

We love you. We always will. You are exactly who God made you to be--perfect in his likeness. You are going to do great things--you already have! You make me proud to be your Mom, son, Happiest of birthdays to you. I love you to the end of the world, across the universe times a billion.

XOXOXO

Mom