To My Son

From the moment you arrived, you showed me what true love really means.

You are perfect simply because you are—pure breath, boundless potential, a living promise.

I love you more than words on this page. You’ve revealed to me the power of unconditional love, the kind Henry Ward Beecher spoke of:

“We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves.”

You are my miracle, my compass, my reminder that every sunrise holds new meaning. I hold visions of you in my arms at my lowest moments—now you’re here, reminding me strength grows in the most broken soil.

Your life is your own poem—a masterpiece in progress. Just like Maya Angelou said about mothers, and fathers too:

“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power… It reflects a love that is vast, passionate, and deeply spiritual.”

Kai, I don’t just wish the world for you, I pledge it. I promise to guide you gently, challenge you kindly, love you fiercely.

Your name is Kai Phoenix.

Kai means beginning. Phoenix, rebirth.

You are shaped by history, but not defined by it.

You’ll rise. Embers become flame.

You are brave enough. You are loved enough.

You are, and will always be, enough.

love, Dad ❤️