Serendipity

I am but a child doing his best in this world, navigating the unknown, trekking through life’s hardships, and finding joy in its small moments of happiness.

I am where I am because of all of you.

We may not always agree. We may not always speak. We may never say everything that’s in our hearts. But there are things a son doesn’t always know how to say to his mothers.

I was gifted with women who each had to navigate an unknown world while doing the best they could. Because of you, I was given a blueprint. What I couldn’t understand as a young boy, I understand now as a man.

The duty of a son is simple: to protect and to love his mothers every single day. To protect and love all of you, and all that you love, and all that you cherish.

To my Mom,

We don’t tell each other “I love you” very often. But when we do, it comes from the little boy who watched his mother become everything to him.

It was my dad who taught me one of the greatest lessons I carry with me every day:

“That is my wife. You can yell at me, but never at your mom. You protect and love her.”

Those words became my duty.

My purpose as your son is to see you smile. To love you in a way that reminds you there is always something worth living for.

To my Mother-in-Law,

You taught me one of the hardest lessons a boy learning to become a man could ever receive:

That I knew nothing.

I watched you do everything you could for your children, even when it meant making choices I could never fully understand or agree with. Through that, you taught me that love is often measured by sacrifice, not by perfection.

The lesson you gave me will stay with me forever.

I will love your daughters with all my heart and always do my best for them. That is my way of loving you.

To my Simo,

You were the woman who never had to love me.

Yet you did.

You gave me grace when I was blinded by ego, anger, and ignorance. Your patience helped shape a man who will never stop trying to give back to the world that you helped open for him.

You became the mother who never needed another son, yet somehow found room in your heart to give me a home away from home.

Thank you.

Thank you for every lesson you gave me.

Thank you for every sacrifice I only understand now.

Thank you for helping shape the man I continue to become.

I will carry your lessons with me every day for the rest of my life.

With love,

Your son