Dear Carson,
Tomorrow is your birthday and you are so very excited. You have been excited for months; eagerly anticipating turning seven. I have tried to hide it, but I have been sad about you turning 7. It just seems so big. Too big for my baby to be seven years old already. But you are so sweet to me. When I slip and make a comment about how I am a little sad that you are turning seven, you are quick to remind me that you will always be my baby. And that is a good example of who you are-- kind and quick to comfort others.
You are so precious to me. You have this joy that just exudes from within you and it draws people in. You have so many friends and you genuinely enjoy people. Your teachers at school, every single year, adore you-- you work hard, you are friendly to all, well-behaved, and happy. You love going to school and 98% of the time you are so incredibly easy-going and happy. Joy-filled.
But.
You are also the most stubborn child in the history of all children. Ever.
Luckily for us, you rarely show your stubborn side. But when you really choose to dig your heels in about something, you will not be moved. Nothing will sway you. No amount of threatening or bribing will convince you to comply. You completely lose your mind. And until you choose to regain control, we have no chance at getting you to obey. Rumor has it I was kind of stubborn as a child too. Allegedly.
I feel like this stubbornness is eventually going to work in our favor. It will help you to withstand all kinds of societal pressures. So, if we survive it now, we will win in the long run.
Your heart is enormous. You are so good at making sure people feel loved and cared for and included. You are a good friend, brother, cousin, son, and grandson. You value all of the relationships in your life, and I think you will be the one to really hold our extended family together (all of the cousins) in the decades to come. That gives me such peace and contentment.
Each day, you tell me that you love me at least a dozen times, maybe more. You have drawn me enough cards and pictures that I could wallpaper our entire house. You leave me gifts in my office-- usually favorite rocks you have found, or other small items that you like and want to share. Your thoughtfulness is so sweet and you always make me feel so loved.
You and your daddy have an especially close relationship. You share a love of sports, and working hard, Subway, and "fighting." You love to go to work with him and help him with projects around the house. You love it when he takes you to practice baseball, and he really is one of your favorite people. I love how much you love him.
Carson, I am so proud of you. You are smart, and funny, and affectionate, and kind. You have brought such joy to my life. You love going to church and you love learning about Jesus and already seem to have a real heart for knowing the truth of the Bible. I think you will be very bold and brave in your faith one day. I pray that you always study God's Word and never step away from what you know to be biblical truths. The world is hard, I wish it wasn't. Surround yourself with others who love Jesus too, so that you have solid fellowship with believers. But, love everyone, be kind to all, share about Jesus with others-- I think you will have a gift for this.
This year I am praying for self-control for you. This isn't new, I've been praying for this for you for quite some time :) You struggle a bit with not just stubbornness, but also a rather fiery temper. I pray that you learn to control it rather than it controlling you. That is the word I am praying over you for this year.
Carson, I love you more than I can truly express in words. It's hard to describe this kind of love. You and Carver have brought me the deepest joy and contentment I have ever known. Thank you for loving me and being so quick to forgive when I make a mistake. I love being your mom and I love all of the memories we are making together, the big ones, the small ones, and the itty bitty tiny ones. They all matter to me, and I know they are special to you too.
Happy Birthday Carson! I hope your day is joy-filled and full of fun!
Love,
Mama
