Dear Little Brother,
This year, you celebrate your first Father’s Day. You’re pretty new at it too. But it’s still YOUR day, for the first time. As your big sister, with quite a few years on you (as you never fail to remind me), I can’t help but stand back and smile at you.
I’m proud of you, you know. You’re a daddy now, one of the special society of parents. You are now part of an elite group of individuals who are changing the world by bringing life into it. You have become a member of that part of society which embraces the very best kind of change.
It’s scary, I know. But isn’t it great? Don’t you look down at your son’s face and just…marvel? Do you ever find yourself holding him and forgetting what life was ever like before he cannonballed into it?
I remember when Elizabeth was born. All of a sudden, though I had known it before, I gained an appreciation for what a great guy I had been married. How did I end up with him? And how, exactly, did we get the chance to be involved in this new life?
I’ve never lost that feeling. With each passing day, with each new child, I only get a better glimpse, a more complete picture, a finer zoom on just how extravagantly I am blessed.
You are now married to the world’s most beautiful woman. She is the mother of your children and that changed body of hers was home to that bundle of joy in your arms. Isn’t it amazing? I once heard a father exclaim that there was nothing more perfect than his wife’s body, with its scars from childbirth. That statement made me cry.
I’m married to a man who agrees with it, you see.
And I suspect you know just what makes him say it with such passion.
Enjoy these moments, and don’t dwell too long on the short nights, the crazy schedules, the sacrifices you are making and will continue to make. On Father’s Day, remember to look heavenward and thank your Father for all that you have, holding them close as you do.
I’m so proud of you, brother. You’ve taken a big step and your life will never be the same. Yeah, you’ve heard that before, but now you’re living the reality…and it’s not so bad, is it? (If it is, then grab a beer and pick up the phone. Let me remind you why it’s not.)
I love you, brother. Happy Father’s Day!
Love,
Sarah