Happy Birthday Connor
With this letter I first and foremost want to wish you a happy birthday. I also want to take advantage of it to say thank you, and I love you. Thank you for loving Emily and for the happy moments wee have enjoyed together this past year. Thank you for continuing the pursuit of work and…
Jim’s Birthday
Not a day goes by that I don’t think about Jim; he is tattooed onto my soul with indelible ink. I remember things about him that I admired, his wisdom and thoughtfulness, his quick wit, the soft kiss at the start and end of each day. He never left the house without a magic trick…
Eighty-Eight
I remember a book written in 1988 titled “88 Reasons why the Rapture will happen in 1988”. The sequel came out the following year! There are 88 keys on a piano. It means hugs and kisses in morse code. King Rehoboam had 88 kids. There are other not so nice meanings attached to this number…
Happy New Year to Me
I think I have said it before but to me birthdays are like New Year’s day. The vibe is so similar. I look backward and reflect on accomplishments, I marvel at my blessings and I set new goals and make plans for the year moving forward. Janus (January) is the roman god of beginnings and…
My grown up Wish list
So with my birthday coming I am often asked what I “want”. In a season where I am purging and parting with many “treasures” it is hard to come up with something new! I have more than my fair share. And with the pandemic I really don’t want to go anywhere too people-y. My kids…
Emily at 29
Every year I scramble to think of something “new” to write to you on your birthday, but in reality I just reword the same thing every time – I love you and I want the best for you. So, here I go again… Every day since you were given by the Lord to me and…
Clay at 25
Some things don’t seem possible. Today is one of them! Why? Because it is hard to believe you are already a quarter of a century! Your dad would have been so proud of the man you have become. When Emily turned 25 I gave her a 25 pun salute! Here is the Clay version for…
31 Flavors of Connor
How is it possible that you have hit your thirties and have been my son-in-love for 6 years?! I am blessed to have you in our family and I want to wish you a happy birthday! This has been a rough year. I am so sorry for all the pain and struggle you have had,…
Seeing in the Dark
I will admit that I used to be afraid of the dark. I wasn’t afraid in my room under the covers with the lights out but I was often spooked in a dark hall or walking home from a babysitting job late; it was really a combination of the eerie quiet, reading too many Nancy…
My Beautiful Daughter
Dear Em, This has been a weird season but the best part for me has been the few months we have been under the same roof again. I am sorry, not sorry, for the turn of events that left you jobless and homeless. I am sorry you both have gone through so much trauma and…