18 Jul A Letter to My Son on His Third Birthday

Dearest Joseph,

Today you are three! And I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. The day I thought labor would never progress and then – in what seemed like a moment – with my midwife coming just in time to catch you, you were here!

You were born in water and have had a great love for the water ever since. This is demonstrated every time we arrive at the pool. It’s all I can do to slather a layer of sunscreen on you and – dash! – you are gone – fearlessly and exuberantly leaping into the water with a squeal of pure joy.

You love life. And you love people. We laughed when, at barely two years old, you would walk up to our neighbors houses, knock on their doors, and greet them with a big smile and a wave. We nicknamed you “the Mayor.”

Just yesterday during a quiet moment I saw you standing beside the front door looking outside. I said, “Joseph, what you are doing?” And you looked at me and said “Mommy, I want people in my house.” Unashamedly extroverted, I believe this will always be a big part of who you are – a lover of people.

But who you really are, even more than your hilarious dance moves, gallop runs, and passion to take things apart and put them back together, is simply this: You are a boy who is greatly loved.

You entered the world to five smiling faces, ready to hold you, love you, and cheer you on in life. These same five people have cheered you on as you took your first steps, said your first words, used the potty for the first time, and so much more.

Every year that you grow older, your circle of love expands to include more friends and family. You see and understand so much more now what love is. While you have been showing us your love since you were born, now it is not uncommon for you to cup my face in your hands, turn my eyes towards you, and say “Mama, I love you.”

Some of my favorite moments with you are our nap time cuddles. You snuggle in next to me and reach for my hand, holding it tightly until you drift off to sleep. Sometimes I gaze long at your soft face, observing how your chest rises and falls with the movements of your breathing. I think of how content and joyful you are and of all the love that you have had the joy of receiving.

My prayer for you as you grow is that you would come to know the God who is the source of all this love you have received – the God who is love.

I pray that you would never lose the joy, security, and healthy attachments you have developed. That you would grow in both wisdom and integrity, reflecting the image of your Creator. And above all I pray that you will know yourself not merely for your successes, failures, talents, personality, or pursuits, but as the one you are even now – the one you have always been even before you were born – “the boy who is greatly loved.”

I love you,

Mommy