Jack! Happy birthday, bud. I didn't get to see you today because you were out doing big things in Baltimore with your dad and brother. But there is no doubt that not seeing your mom was a very small sacrifice compared to missing school, riding on your own golf cart with Brady, and living your best life. Happiness is not my highest goal for you or any of my children, but seeing you happy is one of life's greatest gifts.
Your first year of middle school has been nothing short of amazing, and because it has gone so smoothly, sometimes I forget how far you've come. You suffered some pretty debilitating bouts of anxiety leading up to middle school, and it was one of my hardest parenting moments I've ever had to deal with. Seeing you spiral, and feeling unequipped to manage it was one of the more helpless feelings I've had as a mother. I've known that you are very sensitive and feel emotions big since your very earliest days, and one of life's unfair burdens is to place anxiety on those with the biggest hearts.
Your heart is big and i see it daily in how you treat others. You and Brady got to play on two teams together this year. Beyond the logistical convenience, it was fun to see you both as teammates. One game, Brady packed the wrong baseball pants. Not only did they not fit him, they did not fit you and clearly hadn't made it out of the drawer rotation for some reason. I would guess most brothers would say, hey, not my problem! But not you. You wore skin tight black pants so that your brother could move freely on the field. And I don't even remember hearing you remind him of it later. You are truly a wonderful soul.
I watched you blossom in 6th grade in so many ways. You are an excellent student, and I find myself reminding you that grades don't really matter, because I see how much pressure you put on yourself. You take a lot of pride and everything that you do. You have thrived in the sporting world this year. You followed in your brother's footsteps and made the soccer team without ever having played organized soccer before. Then you tried out for basketball, something you were on the fence about. You made it, of course, but more importantly, you loved it. When your main love, baseball, came around you were thrilled to make the team. You sat the bench most of the season like all the other six graders, but you had such a great attitude and when you did see the field, you crushed it!
Jack, you are my lowest maintenance child and some days I feel like you don't get the attention you deserve. I hope you felt the love on your birthday. I love being your mom every day.
Love,
Mom
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