For E

Me & my little man. February 2000

You.
You are the kid that saved my life.
You are the person that made me want me to create a life worth something. Something more.
You are the one. The only one that has been there with me through it all. Such a tough gig for such a small person. And yet you have never once let me down.
You are my baby. And I was a baby when I had you. You are that faint second line. That line that told me my life, at 17, was forever changing. You were my fears. And my dreams. And my life. You are the sweet boy that expects nothing from anyone. You are the grateful one. The one that reminds me of everything good in life. You are the quiet one. The humble one. The polite one. You are the one that made me want to be a better person. And keeps me striving to be better than I was yesterday.
You are my reason, Ethan. You are the reason for all the good that I am. You, unknowingly, urge me to strive for more. You unknowingly touch everyone you come into contact with.
You are brave. And strong and selfless. You are things adults even aren't and yet you're only 13 today and you are naturally those things; you are naturally open minded. And non-judgmental. You are an old soul. And a genuinely good person.
You have your challenges. Like us all. But you push through. You persevere. And I admire you for that. I want to thank you for that. Thank you for everything. For being you. For showing me that there are good people n the world that want nothing but good things for all.
Thank you for being all that you were to me when I was only a child - your mother, yet still a child. Thank you for that. Thank you for all that you are. Thank you for all that you will be.
I'm so very proud of the man you are becoming. I'm so very humbled to call you my baby. I love you more than you can fathom.
Happy birthday little dude. I'm here for you no matter what comes your way. I'm here for you always.

Love, Mom