What if? (The Rhetoric of Love)

What if today,
You could see yourself
The way we see you?

Or the mischievous toddler
Who never stopped
For more than a minute?

So full of life
and curiosity
about the world around him?

Then you would always know
Without a doubt,
How much we have loved
(and worried…);
watching you change
and grow
and become
the kind of man
we always knew you would be.

And what then?

Would you realize just how far you’ve come;
how proud you’ve made us?

Would you sob like that little boy —
just as I am right now as I write this?

Would you know how grateful
we are to have you in our lives?

What if you could know how much,
how often we think of the journey
that you’ve made for yourself?

Then you would always know
how excited we’ll be
to see you reach your destination.

And we’ll be cheering you on,
all the way.

Happy Birthday, Shawn.

You will never cease to amaze us.

Love,

Dad & Mom