I know you are suffering from a bad cold, John but I wanted to share that perfect moment in 1957 at St. Mary’s hospital …..Saturday at 9:15. You drew your first breath and I looked in your face for the first time.

Our journey together has been long and eventful with you giving all you had to be a “normal kid”……your Dad and I tried to make that happen because we loved you. Your birth will always bring back a flood of memories for me ……a much overstated word is “completeness” but that does say it for me in this case. You made our family complete.

I hope this day of rest will help your cold go away and you have a wonderful year unfolding before you. New ground to travel and footsteps left behind. If we have accomplished one smile in our life we have had at least one smile back…..you always leave people better for being with you and I hope you will always be our family clown. It’s hard to be “down” when we’re laughing with you, not “at” you.

You’re one of the most humble and prideful persons I know. Humble because you never feel the necessity to brag on yourself or take undue credit. Prideful because you have pride in all the right things. You may play a clown but your heart is always where it needs to be.

God bless you in this next year and please, don’t change a thing. We love you just the way you are…………

Always proud to be,

Your mother