To My Almost 14 Year Old

Claire-bear, what could I say about you on the eve of your fourteenth birthday?

Could I say that you are one of the most committed people I know? That if you set a goal, nothing can stop you? That when I asked you what you thought you might want to do when you grow up, you said, "I don't know, but whatever it is, I'm going to finish it"?

Could I talk about how you take responsibility so seriously? How you are a wonderful and reliable babysitter for multiple families? How you used some of your years of savings to help pay for an intense week of tennis training at Hilton Head this summer? How you are fiercely loyal to your friends and your teams, or how you have grown in confidence and leadership over the years, or how behind all your athletics you are also a talented musician?

Could I say that you take your faith seriously? That you ask hard questions and consider all the facts? That you have an innate wisdom and often surprise me with a perspective I hadn't considered before? That I adore our car conversations, which happen more and more frequently due to the million and one sports that you play?

Could I talk about your calm presence in a room? Or the way we laugh because so many people are "scared" of you and your intensity in sports until they get to know you better? Or how you push yourself to be stronger, how you are able to deadlift 255 pounds, but how you are also able to laugh at yourself and recover from mistakes?

I could say all that and more, because it's all true. You are a treasure, Claire Alyse. I'm so very very glad that you were born.

Happy birthday, my sweet almost-14-year-old!