18
WISHES FOR YOUR
18
th
Sophie, Aug 22, 2019
Les Mottosky
O
n this big day, I want to give you a message from my heart to my remarkable daughter. I hope it will appreciate over time. Try to revisit it every so often, because the meaning will change as you grow. At least that’s my hope, Sofe.
It’s been the privilege of my lifetime to watch you thunder through this world for 18 years. More than that though, I so deeply love the human being you are - that beautiful, brilliant, irrepressible and adventurous spirit of yours. Prior to meeting you, I was terrified to have a girl. I didn’t think I’d know how to love her. Then, I met you. As it turns out I love you like I can never love another female (or person). Not a grandma. Not a sister. Not Mom. Not my mom. Not aunts or sister-in-laws or nieces or granddaughters or great granddaughters. Only a daughter is a daughter. And only you are Sophie Rose. More than loving you in a one-of-a-kind way though, I see you. And I’ve seen you since Minute One. Clearer than any memory of the last 20 years, I remember gazing into your eyes when you were minutes old. I was weeping with indescribable joys. I’d never met someone and immediately loved them with my whole being. Your arrival made me a Dad. And it was already my favourite thing in the world. According to the only estimate I’m aware of, by the time the average North American hits adulthood, they’ve spent 86% of the time they’ll ever have with their parents. The potential
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