Dear Son...

Dear Son,

It’s a week until I meet you. Ten days. Give or take.

Like your sisters, you’re going to be a surprise to see. Your hair, your cheeks, the bridge of your nose, your size (especially since you’ve been hiding from me in all those ultrasounds). You’ll be so many things I can’t control, but you’ll be perfect. You’ll keep us up most nights for a while, but we’ll live and you'll be worth it. I might pour orange juice in my coffee in the morning. I might let the house fall apart, but we’ll find a way. Give or take.

Son, you’ll stumble a lot. You’re going to cry the first time you try to support yourself on your tummy and land on your nose. Then I’ll cry because I will always feel your pains. But you won’t be stopped. You’ll lift that chin high and learn to crawl, and then to walk, and then to run. And you’ll run, Son. You’re going to run far and fast. Sometimes too far and fast. We’ll learn to reign it in together. Give or take.

You’ll grow into a blend of lessons developed and innate personalities traits. You’ll be you and me and your dad and the influence of others, all wrapped up in one. I promise to help guide you down the right paths and teach you to be kind (even when you don’t want to be) and helpful (even when you don’t want to be), and help you recognize when your temper is justified and when it’s time to breathe. Much of you will rely on how you are raised, but even more will rely on who you choose to be. So, I pray you will choose to be good where you find need to be good, and stand up for people and have a heart of gold. You won’t always make great decisions, but that’s what I’m here for. We’ll make the right choices together. Give or take.

And that’s what life is, Son. Life is a circle of give and take. So I pray you will give generously and take advantage of all of life’s joys. I pray that when things get tough, you will give it everything you’ve got and take every opportunity to be a blessing. I pray that you will give love even when it doesn’t seem to be earned and take the time to open yourself to others.

It’s not always going to be fair. It’s not always going to be easy. But, we’ll make it through life together. Give or take.

I love you, Son.

Mom