Ode to Kate on Your 13th Birthday

July 8, 2020

My Dearest Kate,

Happy, Happy 13th Birthday!

How can it be?  You're a teenager!!  And, because you're such an amazingly creative one--you made you're own birthday cake...Devil's Food with layers of vanilla and chocolate buttercream frosting, sides of milk chocolate and macadamia nuts along with maraschino cherries to top it off!

And this cake is a great representation of where you love to find yourself these days...baking all kinds of macarons--vanilla mint, stawberry citrus--you name it, you're working to perfect the recipe and asking how old you have to be to work in a bakery.

But this is just scratching the surface...you love, love, love to create.  And since we've been home during quarantine, you've done plenty of it--whether you're sewing, painting, digitally drawing or playing a song on the piano, you're always bringing beauty into the world. 

And to that end, ballet still lives strong in your heart.  This year, we saw a dream emerge as you garnered your first pair of pointe shoes and danced again in the Omaha Dance Project.

And while you continue to create, you continue to exude brilliance. It's still very important to you to take your time, to do the work well, and to stay passionate and curious about what might be around the corner to take the project to the next level.  We absolutely love this about you.

A few weeks ago, we went on a much needed family vacation to Estes Park, Colorado.  We'd been cooped up in doors for weeks on end worried about the state of the world enduring a global pandemic.  Together, with Grandma Bonnie, Aunt Lisa, and Uncle Cory we climbed mountains, rode on our bikes, made dinner together, played games at night, ate ice cream and taffy every chance we got, and talked about what it means to be a family, and to remember how much you are loved and valued.

And in a really special way, Aunt Lisa crafted a "13-days of celebrating Kate extravaganza" complete with thoughtful cards, gifts and kindness--but the final day, she presented you with a gift that was so special.

The engraved bracelet says, "You are loved. You are valued. You are beautiful."

Becoming a young woman is a tricky business.  The world will teach you that you have to be all sorts of things to be deemed worthy.  And, because you haven't had enough life experience, you'll be tempted to buy into the premise that you have to turn yourself inside out to try to win their praises.  The truth is that your only job is to cling deeply to yourself.  The weirder, smarter, kinder, gentler, louder, more fiercely "you" the better.  There is only one Kate Gering and she is magnificent--and we are all better because you are here.

As you grow (which, can we talk about that for a second?  You're already 5 and a half feet tall and wear the same shoe size as me??!!), which inevitably you will keep doing--now, more than ever, know this in your heart--you are extraordinary--you are deeply loved--you are incredibly wanted.  You never have to prove yourself or change yourself to be loved.  You, the perfectly imperfect you is more than enough.

So, as we celebrate you becoming teenager, lean on your family.  We're crazy.  We curse.  We're a little socially inappropriate.  We love to tell silly stories.  We like to have fun.  We are your people.  And, we will be there for you through all of the ups and downs.  All of the seasons.  All of the uncertainties and unknowns.  You can count on us.

We could not love you more.  We could not be more grateful for you.  We cannot wait to see all of the amazing things you birth into the world. 

Stay weird.  Stay amazing.  Stay true.  Be you. 

Love you beyond words,

Mama



 

Ode to Kate on Your 11th Birthday

My Dearest Kate,

Today, you are eleven.

And I am elated, sad, joy-filled, nostalgic, hopeful...and well, in awe.

I see so much within you, and quite frankly, the majesticness of it brings me to tears.  You are extraordinary. 

I've never met anyone who lives and breathes for making things.  Paint to canvas, fabric to the sewing machine, hot glue to yarn, milk/egg cartons, La Croix cans, glitter, charcoal, brushes, clay, oil pastels...you are constantly creating new and inventive pieces. 

Your latest passion is to create realistic dolls and costumes.  You fashion their hair out of yarn, paint and harden their eyes in the oven, sew their costumes, and make their shoes.  This is one of my favorites...your miniature Kate doll.

When you're not painting, you're dancing or playing the piano.  In another year, you'll be primed to be on Pointe slippers in the ballet studio and taking lyrical classes.  Constantly humming a song and writing notes/words to your own pieces, you are not afraid to let your voice speak, and your body move in the world.

Just this past month, you decided that it was time to start traveling, and so with the help of your grandma, you got on a plane and spent 8 days away from home in Reno, Nevada with daddy's family.  We missed you so much, but loved that you were loving every moment of baking, crafting, and making memories.  On the last day, when asked if you were home sick, you said, "Next summer, I want to stay for a month."

Still a voracious reader, we talk about painting in Paris or baking in Tuscany or writing in Maine.  And when your little sister talks about getting married and having six babies, you say, "I don't know.  I've got a lot I want to do before I think about that."

Like dying your hair or riding millions of miles on your new bike (gears make things easier, right?) and starting your own business.

I'm not going to lie to you, Cat-uh-lone-ay, it's a bittersweet thing being your mama.  You really are the best.  You're kind and compassionate and thoughtful and wicked brilliant and beautiful and sweet and feisty and beloved...and man, I just want you to want me to braid your hair and drink chocolate milk forever. 

But, I know, that's not what you're supposed to do.  

You're supposed to meet a million amazing people, explore a thousand adventures and try on lots of different experiences.  You'll rise and you'll fall and you'll figure out who you are and what makes your heart sing.  But along the way, know that I'm here...noticing you, cheering you on, hoping beyond hope that all your dreams come true.  And when they don't, and you have to recreate your dreams, I'll remind you of the inventor you've always been, the singer who never loses the joy in her heart, and the girl who loved the other side of the country so much that she wasn't afraid to stay for a month.  And even though I'll cry when you go, I'll always hold dear the amazing, extraordinary, inspiring person you are.

I love you to the moon and back....the Happiest of 11th Birthdays,

Mama