A Letter to My Son on His Graduation

I remember...

June 6, 2024

My sweet Owen,

What an absolute delight you are.

I am filled with so much joy and tenderness and awe for you as we come upon your high school graduation.

I know that every parent says this, but time really does pass so quickly.

I REMEMBER…

I remember you as a baby, probably about five hours old. I held you in the hospital after you woke in the middle of the night and you stared into my eyes. We looked at each other for a few moments and I felt a cord tether us, like an anchoring. I said to you, “I will love you forever.” There was a cosmic recognition in that moment.

I remember your soft, downey hair. I remember the sweet smell of your head.

I remember coming to get you in the morning, you at one year old, standing in your footed light blue sleeper in your crib, holding onto the rail. Your face would light up when I walked into the room.

My face would light up, too.

I remember taking you to visit my dad when you were a toddler, when my dad had cancer – and you would bring such a light into every room. One day you softly touched my dad‘s face as he sat in his doctor’s office, as if to tell him everything was going to be OK. You didn’t have the words, but your energy spoke for you.

I remember when you were in preschool and fellow moms would come up to me sharing stories about how you would tell them how pretty they were, or that you liked their hair or their earrings. You would make them feel seen. They would laugh and tell me that it made their day.

You are an absolute delight.

I remember when you came out to me when you were 12. I held you close, so proud of you for knowing your truth. I marveled at how deeply attuned you were to yourself at such a young age. Your passion for authenticity has been a guiding light for me and many others.

I remember when we took a family trip to a dude ranch and we were each paired with one horse for the week. Your one request was for a horse who would go really fast. You ended up with Snoopy, a horse who needed to be at the back of the pack at all times. Not fast. I saw how you accepted it and then worked with the circumstances, seeing what you would learn from the experience. You embraced it.

I remember seeing you for the first time compete at a speech tournament and I cried as I witnessed you and your courage, the words you used, and your passion for sharing your message.

I remember watching you try out for the school dance team three times until you made it. You had such tenacity and never wavered from your vision for seeing yourself on that team. With each “no,” you figured out how to eventually turn it into a yes through your focus and determination.

I remember the many weeks and months you took to prepare yourself for your what’s next after graduation, as you head off to college in the fall. You have carved a bright future for yourself. That’s all you, O.

You are an absolute delight. 

I love being your mom.

I’ve loved watching you grow into a compassionate, bright, expressive, thoughtful young man, with purpose, ideas, conviction, and hope.

I’ve loved seeing how you’ve inherited the “Gunning Gift for Gab,” and how you make friends and connections everywhere you go. You are always ready to learn something new and to laugh. Your “Yes, and…” attitude will take you far.

MY ENCOURAGEMENT FOR YOU

My encouragement for you is that you continue to lead with kindness and intelligence. That you continue to create spaces of open communication and acceptance.

I encourage you to stay curious and engaged. 

I encourage you to keep your heart open for love, and that you continue to find your people. People who honor and celebrate you, exactly as you are and as you continue to evolve and expand. Don’t settle for anything less. Never let anyone define you.

I encourage you to keep up your meditation practice, and to continue connecting to this great Universe of ours. You are never alone. Ampa, Poppy, and your many angels and guides are always with you. Your team is rooting for you, always. Tune in to them.

I remember long ago, before I became a mother, a therapist I was seeing at the time said to me that it’s a parent’s job to light up whenever their children walk into the room. Because out in the world, it can be chaotic, challenging, tough – and so parents need to be a safe haven for our children. So that they always know that they have a warm, loving place to land whenever they come home.

You make it so easy for me to light up when you come into the room. I hope you feel that.

And I hope you know that you always have a warm and loving place to land.

My darling son, what an absolute delight you are.

Congratulations on your graduation. 

I adore you.

Love, 

Mama