Your beauty often makes people stop in their tracks and yet it is your soul that shines like the sun. You passionately want people to look beyond the surface and know you and validate that gentle spirit inside of you. What this world offers often comes up empty and short, so you search deeper, for the hidden intricacies of life and all its abundance. You are my beloved daughter, one of three of the best and amazing masterpieces we have had the privilege of co-creating with the Lord. You bless me a thousand ways, some of which you may never know. Please know this: you are so loved by many. You are loved just as you are without citing anything you’ve done (though your accomplishments are many and huge) solely by being our sweet, loving, vulnerable daughter. And you are most loved by the Lord Himself Who sees you and holds you dear for the very same reason—you are His. I know you love quotes so I’ll close with these wise words by Charles Spurgeon as I wish you another great year and a fun day tomorrow on your 23rd birthday. “An inward persuasion of security in God is of all things the most precious in the furnace of persecution. One word from the Lord quiets all our fears.” You rock my world, sweetie. Happy Birthday. I love you so, Mom