Trust this finds you well — safe and sane at the comforts of your home, with the people you love so dearly, in this difficult and frightful time the whole world is going through right now. It's not even close to how you imagined this day would be, but it could have been worse. It may sound selfish to want to forget everything for a while; but I sincerely hope you give yourself this one day, at the very least, to experience a bit sense of normalcy in this pandemic and openly remember how rewarding the last two decades have been.
Today, you are 22. And it's worth celebrating.
Celebrate the many different versions of yourself throughout meaningful seasons — how you watched each one slowly die, with an earnest mind and gallant heart, to blossom more beautifully; and how you have humbly carried with you little pieces of yourself in multiple phases of your life so that you could grow and become the person you are now.
Celebrate your brave heart that keeps you grounded, faithful, and hopeful — how you are unafraid to speak and do things always with and for love; how you weathered unbelievable cases of heartbreaks and losses, but still know of kindness and forgiveness; and how you patiently wait for the things you have no control over to perfectly fall into place.
Celebrate your restless, youthful spirit that knows of fearless living — how you champion the little things and make all of it matter at the end of the day; how you are always after opportunities of a lifetime and in constant search for new horizons; and how you tirelessly chase your dreams by taking one huge leap of faith at a time.
Celebrate your grace and grit; your peace, courage, and strength; your truths, dreams, and hopes — they brought you here, exactly where you are supposed to.
Today, you are 22. I hope you are reminded that you are celebrated for the things you did and failed to do, and the woman you have become because of all of it. You are truly, deeply loved — for who you are and who you are not — by the people who take pride in knowing you, and whose lives, dreams, love, and warmth give your very existence its true meaning.
Happy birthday. Live a long, fearless, purposeful, powerful life.
