It is hard to believe that we are celebrating one of the last several birthdays you will have in our home. Before you know it, you will wake up to your first birthday at a different address. You will thank God for your life, your breath, and everything else, check your phone and see a birthday wish from me and your mother with a video of your siblings singing to you likely to follow later that morning. You will, in all likelihood, be local enough to stop by and say Hi and we will sing and celebrate the man you have become and growing into.
But today and for now, you are still here, but you are now 16.
I am excited to meet the man you will be on that day when you have to "come home" for Christmas. I don't know all of the details of what he will be like or how he will have grown, but I do know that I will love him, like him, respect him, and welcome him home with a handshake and a hug.
Here is a list of things I enjoy about you now and am excited to see grow up:
You are a great artist. I love your graphic novels and am looking forward to diving into The Hands of Fate over my Christmas break.
You are a gun enthusiast. It will be fun to watch your interests grow with your opportunities to acquire more gear and practice your plinking.
You are tall. Are you done growing yet? Time will tell. God is giving you your own personal ladder. They're called legs and the top shelf is no obstacle for you. Hanging your Christmas lights on your home someday will be a breeze.
You are smart. You like to know what's going on and to think about what you think about what's going on. This will bode well for the world to have more men with eyes in their heads and thoughts behind their eyeballs.
You are a good friend. You enjoy having fun with your friends at church and like spending time with people. You make friends easily, like at the Christy airsoft battles. You are easy to like.
You are a hard worker. You do a great job of getting up on time and getting after your work when out on Mr. David's farm. You have earned his respect through your hard work. Respect is earned. It is the best paycheck. And you have been building up a good bank account.
You have initiative. You are not scared to chase down what you like. You know what you want and want to be turned loose to go get it. This will be a blessing to your family .
You are handy. While I was away for work a few weeks ago, you fixed the dryer. You understand basic mechanics and know how things fit together. You aren't afraid to take things apart because you are sure you will be able to put it back together.
You are funny. You don't always crack wise, but when you do, you crack well.
You are a good son. I like being your dad. You love the people I love. You love your mom and your siblings and your church and your God.
I am proud of you.
Happy 16th Birthday, Atticus.
Here's to many, many more.
Love, Dad
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