Dear beautiful thirteen-
Sorry that it has taken me so very long to write. (2 1/2 months!) As you get older it gets more difficult for me to share you with the world. Not because I think I need to hide you, but because you have your own stories to tell and my perspective on your life is just that, mine. I find myself censoring what I write about you whereas I might otherwise freely share the same thing about your younger brothers.
I love you. Your Dad loves you. I don't need to write it now because you feel it. I know you do. But there will come a time, hopefully a long time away when you will doubt of our love for you. Right here right now at thirteen we love you more than we did when you were our only child. At that time we had no idea how much our love could grow, we could not imagine loving you more than we did. But we do. It just grows.
We love to watch you. Love to listen to your music. Love your drama. Love your crazy outfits. Love your accents and the personas that come with it.
We absolutely love watching you with your brothers. The love that you have for Tucker and how you are totally wrapped around his finger. How he only needs to look at you or speak the word "sister" and he has you under his spell. How hard you have to work with Luke for both of your theory in piano, and how you teach him- when you get it right, you totally nail it. Watching you share things with Jack and the way you tease.
We absolutely love watching you with your brothers. The love that you have for Tucker and how you are totally wrapped around his finger. How he only needs to look at you or speak the word "sister" and he has you under his spell. How hard you have to work with Luke for both of your theory in piano, and how you teach him- when you get it right, you totally nail it. Watching you share things with Jack and the way you tease.
We notice your compassion, your desire to help others and to understand what they are going through. We would challenge you to continue developing that compassion and to not judge others.
We believe in you. We are proud of you. We know you have it in you to do hard things. When those hard things come, (and they will!) know that we support you and believe in you. We really do love you more than you could possibly know right now.
Happy Thirteenth Year! We believe in you!
Love, mom and dad
(photos- July 2010)
6 comments:
Savanna, Mom wrote and signed this beautiful tribute to you with my name ... kind of like she would a greeting card. I thought I should let you know that I really do agree with the things she has said.
You are beautiful to me. I love your eyes and your smile. I love your abilities and your personality. I love the spirit inside of you that makes you who you are.
You are coming into your own. That is, you have always been Savanna. You are a spirit daughter of your Heavenly Father. I have always seen signs of a person that is much older than the youthful body you live within. It's a wonderful thing to see you realize again the full stature of your eternal self. You are one of His greats.
Now with the good times, balance requires you and I have some struggles. We sometimes have difficult conversations. We misunderstand each other. We mean well. I don't regret these times, but I know I can be awfully intense in the middle of them.
I admit to you with frequency how imperfect I am ... full of faults. And you have abilities and qualities that have already surpassed my own.
At times you will be absolutely sure I have no clue ... and it's quite possible I don't! Other times you will make choices I disagree with or you may regret. But after all of this ... I [never] want you to doubt my love for you. Never! Never! Never!
When the years have rolled on and I am dead and gone. There may be no other legacy of great achievements that I will be remembered for ... except for one thing. One thing I am sure will be important to the future. That I was your father.
Love Dad :)
Beautiful girl, beautiful words.
Alisa, this is absolutely beautiful . . . and so true. My goodness you nailed it. Thanks for sharing it with the rest of us.
Oh boy. And then I read Jay's comments. Could there be any more poignant line than, "One thing I am sure will be important to the future. That I was your father."
What a lucky girl. What lucky parents.
I cannot believe that she is 13 already. She is definitely beautiful and so lucky to have you two as parents. Happy teen years, Savanna!
She cannot be thirteen! She will always be the beautiful 4 year old girl in the dress standing on top of a dirt pile at our townhomes singing songs from Pocahantas at the top of her lungs, to me! Happy Birthday Savanna!
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