Dear Son,

Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I am not excited for you. I am. I know you will excel in school and do awesome. You are super smart; you always have been. You recognized the alphabet at 2 years old. That seems advanced to me.

You love to learn. Your teacher already picked that up at kindergarten evaluation. They flattered me with the notion that they almost wanted to advance you to first grade. Your brightness shows.

I am not worried that you will be wrongly influenced by those around you. (Although I will still always pray for you) You have always stood up for truth; it didn’t matter what age was doing wrong.

I am not worried that you won’t make friends. Even the toughest critics will be softened by your jokes.

Tim: There is a maple tree in the ground…Joke. (Yes, he emphatically ends all his jokes with the verbal word “joke”, and yes this is one of his “jokes”)

No, the transition will come easy for you. You like structure, are super smart and feed off of positive accountability.

But it’s still hard for Mom.

It’s hard leaving you in someone else’s care for 6 plus hours a day (plus bus time).

It’s hard to think of missing your smiling face even though you are in good hands.

It’s hard to conceptualize how quick 5 years went and how much quicker the next 15 will go.

You are my bud. The oldest child of the three musketeers. Always the first volunteer for prayer with a contagious laugh that has a domino effect to those around you. Artistic and funny with a perseverance that helps you excel at anything you put your mind to.

Mom and Dad are so proud of you.

Always know wherever you are, you are missed, you are loved, and Mom always wants a hug!