Dear Baby T,
One day I will tell you how your dad and I came into this world, how we had a birthday like you, and lots of people waited for us and hoped for us and prayed we'd be happy and healthy. I will tell you how stubborn your dad was in his earliest hours, and how God must have had big plans for him. I will tell you about his crazy hair when he doesn't have any left. I will tell you about the times your dad would say, "I'm going to teach him to paint and play instruments, and we will have adventures and collect bugs and do things guys should do." I will tell you that you have a great man who will teach you to be devoted to your faith, to be compassionate for others, and to be wise, because your dad cared about the wise men that came before him, mostly Jesus and his dad.
One day I will tell you about all the people who love you, especially Koko and G. I will show you faces in photos and remind you who all your loved ones are, because, until you are much older, there will simply be too many to remember. And when we head west or south or just across town, you'll know that, wherever we wind up, you will be surrounded by people who love you much deeper than you could ever know. And you will be happy.
One day I will tell you about how much I love Santa Fe, and I will take you there. I will show you how to use a flashlight under the covers so you can stay up reading long past your bedtime. I will teach you how to read everything forward and backward so you'll be a good speller. I will tell you about the adventures I had with your favorite aunts, and you will learn the rule of Sixes. One day I will tell you about your heritage, and you will be proud. I will tell you I am proud of you.
One day I will tell you that you never have to worry about food on your plate or shoes on your feet or anyone taking your favorite stuffed rabbit, because I will protect you from those things that threaten you. And one day I will tell you about how you came in to this world, and how you became my child, and how it wasn't easy at first, because you were my child who was born on the other side of the world. I will tell you how I felt like I walked around with my heart beating on the outside of my chest, and the threat of tears was never far. But then I will remind you of all the people who love you; those same people comforted and protected me when you were not with me. I will tell you about those people often.
One day I will tell you about Pistol Annie, my grandmother, your dad's Nanny and Papa. They would all have loved you very much, and you'd feel the same way too. I promise.
One day I will tell you about the people who mean most to me--you know who you are.
And one day soon, I will try to tell you how much I love you, but no matter how hard I try, no matter the combinations of words I string together, it won't be enough.
Trust me, darling boy.
