Dear Leafy, (a letter to my sixteen-year-old son)

Dear Leafy,

You are a full feathered boy, a man child. You are sixteen, a brother, a son. 
You are pure magic. What will you be? What will you make? What facets of your life will come into focus this year and next year and into the future? I am blessed to witness it.

Here are the things you have in abundance (among many others) :
Curiosity.
Faith.
Belief that you can do what you think of. 
That excellent memory.
Introspection and deep thinking. Clarity. 
Your kindness, which is deep and true, like a well.

(A rope Leafy made from plants.)

This year you have sung to us after long days, your hands have learned the piano’s songs.
You have held it together when the world fell apart, taken long walks in the hills, getting lost with your friend, meeting a elderly man who helped you find your way and told you about his water buffalo.

You have become someone we truly count on. (All of us.)

Your bright smile flashing in your face is joy in visual form. (I love how you don’t hold it back as much anymore, you just set it free.) I pray for joy for you— great buckets of joy as you walk in the world in friendship, brotherhood, love. 

We all love you and especially me,

Mama

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