Ode to Claire on your 13th Birthday

December 14, 2023

My Dearest Claire,

You woke up and are officially a teenager!  13-years old!!!

As I look back, I stand in awe of what an incredible year you've had...

Crocheting everything in sight including a temperature blanket, all kinds of creatures-cows, sloths, whales, squids, hats, bags, starting your own Etsy store, and joining the sweet older ladies at church, sitting around knitting at the prayer shawl ministry.

Enjoying all things Kitaki.  Deciding that independence is a good thing and also, that it's really important to hang with the kids that don't always get the invite.

Seeing Hamilton and singing all of the words with your sister.  Along with singing to musicals every night in the shower--hoping one day, you'll get to see Hadestown.

Going to hockey games with dad, cheering on the Mavs, giving the opposing team an earful.

Giving your all to 7th grade Student Council, believing in the power of change, working to make the most of middle school.

Giving us your crazy smolder faces any chance you get--because, let's be honest, you can do them better than any of us.

To your amazing art work and love for anything creative.

To your incredible piano playing-filling our home and the talent show with the love of music.

To touring college spaces with your brother, enjoying Chicago and Minnesota, cheering him on, wearing your St. Olaf gear every chance you get.

 

 

To your silly, crazy story telling, incredible game playing, dancing girl self.  

The truth is that you've been a teenager longer than your age has counted.  Growing up as the third and youngest child, you've always been wise beyond your years.  You've watched your siblings do incredible things-and decided that you would quickly dive in and make life your own.

You're so wise, talented, and full of life.  You always have a million questions and you're never afraid to ask.  In general, you're also just not afraid of much (other than flies and bugs).  A couple of times a week, you ride the city bus to the library after school, plop down, and study or read--talking to people and asking them how their day is going.  You're not afraid to engage with older adults as you connect with grandmas who crochet and knit, and look forward to the opportunity to babysit people's kiddos.

You are the definition of pure joy and pure crazy.  Even when you're not feeling well, you can always find energy for a good joke, a funny dance move, a dumb You Tube video, or a silly story--and the best part is that you full-on do all of the voices, act out the motions, and often pee your pants because you can't help but make your own self laugh.

As you embark upon the remainder of middle school and start to consider what is next in high school--let me encourage you to not give in to the temptation to diverge from you.  It will be seductive to think you have to look a certain way, sit at a given table, or only raise your hand if you think you're right.  Don't give in to that noise.  

Cling to what you love, who you are, and how you show up in the world.  Be willing to take risks, to go out on a limb, to fail, and then to get back up again--but all on your timeline, not on the demands or expectations of the other.  Your choice to be the most authentic you will serve you well and also make you happy.

As you watch your older sister drive, engage in college exploration, and you miss your brother away at college--know that they are so proud of you.  You are smart, kind, hilarious, edgy, confident, and considerate--and they will always be rooting for you no matter where they are.

Know that dad and I could not love you more.  You are the brightest spot in the day, the purest of love and joy.  You are our Claire Bear.  And we are SO grateful to celebrate you.

All my love always, Mom

 

Ode to Claire on Your 8th Birthday

My Dearest Claire,

OH MY GOODNESS...today you are EIGHT!

It happened, just like that.

You are a big second grader who knows exactly who she is and what she wants in the world.

Extraordinary, really...when I think about it, I stand in amazement at everything that you teach me about how to live a full life.

First up, this year, you said, "Hell to the no's on ballet."  You've taken lessons since you were 3-years old, and watched your older sister dance for hours week after week.  Classically trained, pursuing the desire to be on pointe, you deemed that slice of the world, not your cup of tea.

Instead, you decided to trade your slippers for sparring gloves.  You're a fighter.  A full-fledged orange belt variety and three times a week, you Braveheart "KEE-YAH" the shit out of the other students who find themselves in the ring.

Next up, you love beyond measure the gift of reading.  Something clicked and now, your nose is always in a book.  Your current faves are anything Captain Underpants, Harry Potter, Amelia Bedelia, Land of Stories, Elephant and Piggie, and of course, the stand by Dr. Seusses.  It's been a magical ride to be a witness on your reading journey.  You love acting out the characters and snuggling together during the telling of the tales.

This year found you playing more piano than I could have imagined.  You've been devoted to practicing, and the only thing that keeps you from the ivories is the inherited guitar that had you playing "Happy Birthday" at the SMM talent show.  A perfectly pitched, beautiful voice, you love to sing and dance more than anyone else in our abode.

While Joy should have been your middle name, I often find that Feist and Sass are a bit more appropriate.  You are hard...I mean really freaking hard.  Stubborn, short, a tendency toward blurting out how your brother or sister are assholes while questioning nearly everything I tell you to do....you are a fierce ass force to be reckoned with.  And I struggle, I yell more than I should.  I use the famous "Because I told you so," more than I would like, and many times, I slink away in exasperation.

But you know what, I don't worry about you...not one bit.  You can hold your own.  You are brilliant, capable, confident, strong (I've watched you do many more push-ups in a sitting than I could) and you have an unwavering faith in God's love for you.  The other night while praying the rosary, you said, "Thank you God for life and death and all the days in between.  Thank you for the trees and the hedgehogs and Sam and Kate and for my friends, even the mean ones.  Thank you for loving me no matter what.  And for giving us a warm house.  I love you."

My blue-eyed, blonde-haired, firecracker of a girl, we love you too.  And as you grow, which we know is inevitable, channel your fierce spirit, your insane creativity, and extraordinary gift for decision making and use it for good.  Take the unconditional love you have in your heart and give it to others.  Let them know that they are loved too.

In your upcoming year, may you be showered with more joy than you can imagine--for you have given us more than we could have.

I love you to the moon and back,

Mama

Ode to Kate on Your Ninth Birthday

My Dearest Kate,

Oh my goodness!  You're nine! 

A bonafide ballet twirling, piano playing, Roald Dahl reading, canvas painting, fruit and veggie eating, bird admiring, advocate for every soul under the sun.

There are no words to say how much I love you and how excited I am for where you are, smack dab in the middle of such a beautiful life.

I can't quite explain it, but from the moment of your birth, you have been elated with the world.  Happy to greet everyone you meet with a sense of wonder, purpose, hope, and giddyness for the possibilities that abound.  You have served as the inspiration for our family to live in the center of the moment, and to gobble up all of the beauty and joy that God has blessed upon us.

A few weeks ago, we took a family vacation to northern California and you took your iPad primarily to take pictures of everything that made your heart sing.  I watched you focus in on seagulls in San Francisco, Redwoods outside of Eureka, ruins in Alcatraz and interesting smiles of passer-byers. You are a natural observer, documenter and lover of the beauty in the world.

It is extraordinary to watch you read voraciously and fall in love with the characters and language as much as I did when I was your age.  Consumed in tales like The BFG, Matilda, Harry Potter, Story Thieves, The War that Saved My Life and so many others, it is a delight to compare notes and to watch you write and illustrate your own rags about dragons, heroes and girls who save the day (always, the heroines).  And now, you've embarked upon building and painting your own Free Little Library with your dad so that you can share your love of literacy with our neighborhood. 

One of my favorite projects you crafted was during the Lenten season when you decided to paint "Rocks for the Poor."  You and your sister spent hours finding the perfect stones and then carefully adorning them with color and symbols in the hopes that people would buy them as desk decoration.  In turn, you took the money and gave it to those in need because according to you, "We have so much and it's not right that others have so little."

In the fall, you are headed into fourth grade, a time that I vividly remember.  So, as you embark upon your ninth year, I want to leave you with this... the greatest gift that you can give to another is kindness and you are filled to the brim with it.  Let it pour out of you and shower upon the new girl you meet in class, the one who stumbles on the street, the friend who's not quite sure that they're doing it right, the stranger in the store or on the playground.  Because while we live in a country that seems to be monetarily wealthy, we are vastly deficient in our ability to love one another for exactly who we are without judgement or fear.

Try not to be afraid.  Be wild, free and alive.  Every moment is a new opportunity to feel, to believe, to try again, to experience all that this crazy time and space has to offer.  Never doubt that you are both able and extraordinary beyond all measure.  You have the power and the fortitude to do so, so very much.  But it's more fun and vastly more enjoyable when you take a friend along the journey.  Share your success.  Be humble in your winnings.  And know that all goodness and grace comes from God.

Forgive me if this is how I see you...

I'm not sure how we got to here...

But I do know that I'll always be right here, cheering you on as you explore, wonder, hope, imagine
and create a more beautiful and loving world.

To the moon and back, sunshine...

Happy Birthday, Kate....

Love always, Mama