To My Children on Their 16 and 18 Birthdays

 To my children on their 16 and 18 birthdays

On your 16th and 18th birthdays let us pause to acknowledge the miracle that is this day! The fact that you are here is a miracle. It is a miracle for so many reasons. You traveled through the heavens to come to be my children. It is a miracle that your grandparents all went to the same church. It is a miracle they were friends. It is a miracle that your mom and I knew each other for our whole lives. It is a miracle that we happened to both be working at camp in the summer of 1998. It is a miracle that we fell in love. It is a miracle we got married. You are a miracle to me.

But now that means even more. Your being here today is a miracle. It is the providence of God that you are here. The thing about miracles is that we don’t know their meaning, or why. All we can do is accept them in gratitude. All we can do is thank God for this day. We can appreciate the miracle that is in our lives. We can look back and thank God that we were saved from our own paths of destruction. We can pray for more miracles.

Miracles are not always big and splashy. They are not always a burning bush, calming storms, or healing some disease. Instead, they are the small things that make up our lives. They are leaves in fall, a sunny day by the lake, a good meal shared with friends, love of family, hard work, a job well done, and a new skill developed. Miracles are the everyday things that give our life meaning and purpose. I didn’t understand that until I became a father. Until I held each of you in my arms for the first time. I saw in you my miracle. You are my life’s meaning and purpose. I hope you forgive me for all the failed times that I forgot what a miracle you are to me.

As you turn 16 and 18 I am thankful for the miracle that you are. I am thankful every day that you are my children. I am thankful every day that all of the miracles that proceeded you have led to this day. I hope every day you stand in awe of it all. I hope you see how precious you are. I hope you see that love has traveled through the universe, through the heavens to bring you to this point. I can only pray for more miracles for you. As the universe unfolds before us, God who holds all things together will continue to unfold the love and grace that brings all things together for good.

Love,

Dad