My love,

Today is your first Mother’s Day, and I thought it might be nice to pen you a note. (I was going to buy you flowers, but my aunt and uncle beat me to the punch.)

In the four and a half years I’ve known you, and in the almost three we’ve been married, I’ve gotten to see you walk through the fire of some very great ordeals. So I know your strength, your courage, and your willingness to press on – your willingness to soldier through, even when doing so entails considerable pain and frustration in your life. I know your heart for God, the way you want to please Him with your life, and the depths of your commitment to loving him. I know your compassion, and your incredibly tender heart, and your sweet and gentle spirit. I know your verve, too, and the strength of character that runs in your veins. In short: I know you to be a truly excellent woman.

And you will be a truly excellent mom! Every one of those glorious features will shape the mother you are. You, I know, will be able to deal with long nights and endless dirty diapers, with temper tantrums and the overwhelming desire to eat everything in sight, with a colicking and fussing, with teething and toddling. You will not just endure, you will excel. You will be a picture – imperfect and stumbling, yes, but still a very good picture – of the glorious grace of God to our little girl. You will love her so very well! You will be there to listen to her when things are hard, and to hold her when she has a bad day, and to cheer for her when she succeeds, and to encourage her as she works hard to accomplish each challenge she faces. You will be great!

I wouldn’t want anyone else alongside me in this splendid adventure on which we are about to embark. As I’ve watched you spend time with little babies more and more in the last year and a half (I’m so glad Beth and Dani shoved little Benjamin in your arms that Thanksgiving, and for your time in the nursery, and for your time nannying little Ruthie), I’ve seen just how much delight children bring you, and how good you are with them, and I can’t wait to see that play out with our own little girl. She will adore you, and rightly so. You are going to be the best mom she could ask for.

I love you! Happy first Mother’s Day!