Your Mother.

Dear Noah,


Your mom has been gone for almost a week now, but is finally getting home tonight.  I have missed her a great deal and though you didn't always express it in the most pleasant format possible, it was clear you missed her as well.  I thought this would be a good time to reflect a little and tell you about her.


The first thing you should know is how deeply she loves you and how much time she has spent focusing on the smallest of details to make sure you are raised in the best possible environment.  Your seventeen months on earth have been enveloped in the framework of careful consideration and love as well as a great deal of worry that she was making the best decisions for you.  


If there was ever a picture of strength in the face of difficulty, it would be your mom.  She has faced adversity and stress that would have demoralized many, but through it all kept her resolve, her passion, and her commitment to focus on what was important.   From being in labor when she learned we had lost our house in a tornado and then living in a temporary apartment, to moving to a new city and through it all finishing her second year of medical school and then studying and passing her board exams, she expressed a fortitude and grace that was inspiring.


You will often hear discussions about women who "just don't know how beautiful they are".  This can often be somewhat trite and at times unconvincing, but your mom personifies that statement.  And while this may be more relevant to me, I think it's important for you to know, because it illuminates a great deal about your mother.


The last areas I will note are your mom's intensity, passion and authenticity.  She often struggles under the weight of just how big her heart and passion for the world is, but it is this struggle that is so informative.  She is never content with simple answers and wrestles with the big questions with a tenacity that you will rarely see matched.  Discontent is rarely a virtue, but with your mother, it often is.  She is not content with mediocrity or the status quo.  She is not content to settle into a comfortable web of oblivion and ignore the injustice in the world.   The incredible thing is that you will be here to witness her journey firsthand.


You're too young right now to realize how blessed you are.  You are too young to recognize what an amazing mother you have.  Many years from now you will read and possibly reread this and reflect, perhaps as a parent yourself, and will recognize what an amazing, God given gift you were provided.


Love,
Dad