Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Happy Birthday, Isaac

Dear Isaac,

Seven years ago you made me a mother and I am forever grateful for this opportunity. It's been quite a ride these past 7 years, but I don't think any have compared to this past year. When you were six, you accomplished so much. You have grown and changed from a small boy, to a young child and I am incredibly proud of the man I see forming before me. 

Since you were a baby you've worn your heart on your sleeve. Happy, sad, angry, we never had to guess with you. This past year I've seen you start to manage your emotions in a new way, struggling to find the words to express yourself. It's hard being six. There are new responsibilities, new goals, new experiences, and new expectations. But when I look at the seven year old before me today, I see you soaring. 

So let's talk about all the things you accomplished this year. Academically, you've read books like Wizard of Oz, Shiloh, and Chocolate Touch. At the beginning of the year I was worried about your inferencing skills, but by the end, I was amazed at everything you were able to grasp in the books we were reading. Your love for Science is infectious. New discoveries light up your world and I'm so grateful to be a part of that excitement with you. Physically you've learned how to ride a bike AND swim! Holy cow, Isaac! You accomplished two major fears, and YOU DID IT. And can we talk about the fact that you ate a hot dog? You have a lot of sensitivities to food- their textures and flavors, but you are also learning new ways to absorb those sensitivities and move forward. And of course, you are 3 months seizure free today! I am so excited for you on this new stage of your life! The best part of you being six was the night you accepted Christ into your life. You are learning all about God's magnificent love for you and I could not be happier. 

Recently you told me that you just want to do what you want to do. And I want you to know, that I feel you. We all just want to do what we want to do. But the reality is, we have to love the people around us more than we love ourselves. We have to want to do what's best for them. And I see you learning that. It's hard sometimes being the oldest of 4 kids. You have to give a LOT of love to everyone. But God gave you such a big heart and I know he did it because he was going to give you a lot of people to love. 

I want to talk to you about one more incident that happened this year. A few months back you tore up Jared's art work. You said it was useless. Jared cried and when I spoke to you in private about the incident, you said Jared already has a bunch of art work on his wall in his room and his new art work was useless. After speaking to you for a few minutes, you turned your head from me and said, "I'm useless." I want you to know a piece of my heart broke in that moment. I told you then and I want to reiterate now, just in case you're reading this at a point in your life when you need to hear it: YOU ARE NOT USELESS. You are perfectly and wonderfully made for this family. You are designed by God from the top of your head to tip of your toes. From your inner organs to your inner spirit- you are made perfect by God. I need you to know that. You are not your brothers or your sister and you are not meant to be. If you were, we wouldn't need them. We need YOU in our family. We need your brilliance, your laughter, your jokes, your plans. We need you. 

I want to close this letter with your thoughts. The following was dictated by you:

I'm the best guy ever. I do not so funny pranks on my mom and dad and I want them to be funny so I really need to buy the Dangerous Dragon Book for Boys. It has so much funny pranks in it. 

When I grow up I am going to have 4 children and 1 daughter. That makes 5 kids. Their names are: Peter, Isaac Jr, Gregory, Arctic (that's because he will like the snow a lot), and Abigail. My home is going to be a 3 level home. And I am going to have 3 vehicles: a motorcycle, a truck, and a van (just in case everyone wants to go somewhere.) My jobs are going to be UPS loading trucks and the US Navy with a new technology of invisible cannons on the submarines. The end!

Isaac, I cannot wait to watch what this next year brings for you. 

All my love,

Mom

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