My son, my first-born treasure, you are a person that I truly admire.
So quick to offer help where you see a need,
So eager to do for yourself and for others what you are able,
So full of love, caring, and sensitivity. Traits, which in a man are admirable,
In a boy are truly extraordinary.
God has given me many blessings; by far, the blessing of children surpasses all.
As I see you grow, oh so quickly, too quickly, I see you becoming more independent
Than I am ready for you to be.
My heart feels sadness at the loss of my baby, but it also leaps for joy
At the vision of the young man you are becoming.
I pray that you will be a godly man carrying with you those same traits that I admire so.
A man that loves his Maker, a man that seeks the Lord's will in all.

~lovingly written for my darling Elyse~
~I was inspired to write this as I stood watching Elyse at four years old planting weeds in our back yard~

The sun is shining brightly as I watch you, my child, at play.
You are carefully planting weeds in hopes that they will soon grow into beautiful flowers.
How precious the life of a child. So innocent and caring,
Believing that your world will always be as beautiful
As you are expecting your newly planted weeds to become.
How I wish that to be so, my precious child.
To have a world all perfect, all loving, all caring,
To have a world that would keep you an innocent, trusting child just a little bit longer.
My prayer for you, my precious blossom, is that you will grow to be
The beautiful, thriving flower that your weeds could only dream of.

~lovingly written for my precious son, Gabriel~

Gabriel, "Man of God", you were named for God's blessed angel.
David, "Honoring God", named also for your grandfather;
My father, a man that I deeply love and respect.
My precious little boy, you are a gleaming light in my life.
A light that is so pure and beautiful,
a light that has touched my life in a way that nothing else can.
God has given you to me to raise in love to be the man of God that He wants you to be.
My heart is full of immeasurable love for you, my angel boy.
Part me, part your daddy; there is no other like you in all the world.
Full of fun and wonder, joy and innocence; you take such pleasure in the world around you.
Your love for life is a lesson for all to learn from.
Your pleasure is my pleasure; your joy is my joy.
I thank God that He has placed you in my care, my lovely little angel.

~lovingly written for our dear, sweet Kira~

You joined our family not by birth;
But are our daughter, nonetheless.
You came to us, your shell weathered
by the waves of your life.
Our goal, to love and encourage you so one day that weathered shell
would reveal the beautiful pearl lying inside.
With each passing day, we are privileged to see
more of the pearl and less of the shell.
As your life goes on and you continue to mature,
the roughness of that shell you will not feel,
but the smoothness of the lovely pearl.
You will always hold a special place in our hearts and our prayers
no matter where your life takes you.
Always remember you are loved~
shell and all.