HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB

 Dear Caleb,

You are a high schooler. In one year, you have grown 3 and a quarter inches and gained 10 pounds. You may still be small, but you are taller and stronger than you were a year ago. This year--they finally passed the homeschool sport bill, and you were able to play for the local HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER TEAM. You worked hard all summer and were excited to finish the year having become a freshman letterman, played good varsity minutes, and join the team in BECKLEY for an exciting championship win! What a fun first year marked with quite an exciting end in the middle of a crazy pandemic and what seemed like a possible no go season! We were so excited to get to celebrate with you. What a miracle that God opened the door for you, and that COVID remained at bay--a special season and memory-- I hope you never forget that.

School has been tougher this year with some tough classes, more responsibility and initiative required, but you are rising to the occasion. Relationships, hormones, emotions, and insecurities have been a roller coaster ride, but we shall survive. Last winter you finished basketball and won the championship against EAST to finish the season. You enjoyed skiing, got a phone, continued your lawn mowing business, helped a lot with THESIS, vacationed in Florida, got your first 'hole-in'one,' and got more involved with the church youth group. Your ability to love on, connect and make people feel welcome is a tremendous gift! Strangely the COVID pandemic came shortly after all that and it’s been a weird, weird year. Maw-Maw came to live with us and consequently move to Fairmont. We haven’t seen the Otey’s since last Christmas! We have barely seen our family except for golfing with Grandpa most weeks, occasionally visiting Julie and Kara's clans, and one visit to social distant visit the Grandmas. Wow…crazy how much has changed in a year. 

Maybe the most exciting thing of the year was adopting Charlie into our family. He’s so sweet and lovable and he just adores you. You get him so excited and he loves playing with you, chasing balls around the yard, tug of war or wrestling.

I wrote a letter to you on the first day of Kindergarten and here you are--in high school. I said I was glad you didn’t get on that yellow bus all those years ago, and I can tell you that even though some of our days are difficult and my heart gets hurt frequently by muddy water, misunderstandings, and ugly words--I wouldn’t trade all these years with you. I love hearing your insights as we read a new book, I love seeing the roots of your faith grow, the friendships with your siblings deepen, the strength in your convictions heighten, the richness of your artwork, depth of your thoughtful essays, and the dreams and goals you've set becoming realities! You get your braces off this week, learning to drive soon, possibly dating in the nearer future, doing more with friends, taking even tougher classes, deciding where you want to go to college, and how far you want to take your sport and military dreams...it’s a bittersweet time for me as a mom....on one hand excited for watching this new season and on the other hand sad to see how fast the years have flown by. 

I love you Caleb. You are a great young man and we are proud to be your parents. May the Lord increase you in wisdom, STATURE and favor in this coming year and may you know you are loved, accepted and treasured in our home and family. On the good days, bad days and all the days in between.