Day 81 twenty-three

You turned twenty-three today my boy.

So handsome and strong- you remind me of your daddy. You have become so much like him and yet you are your very own man.

When you were six we discovered you were dyslexic. You wondered why reading seemed impossible when everyone else could do it. My heart broke for you. At that time I tried to encourage you that some of the most brilliant people were dyslexic, including Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. This didn’t seem to make the ache going away. I knew you were so smart and unique. You would learn in your own way and in your own time. At that time I was so grateful we were homeschooling. I wanted you to learn as you needed and could. And you did. You spent hours in the woods studying the trees. You made things with your hands. You loved carpentry and blacksmithing. You practiced guitar and learned how to create your own music.

And in the middle of all that? You learned to read.

This year you are a senior at the University of Georgia. Not long ago your advisor told you that you were on track to graduate summa cum laude. In laymen’s terms that means that you have more than learned how to read. You have become excellent and surpassed most of your peers in your education. I could not be more proud of you. I can hear Grandma Ann cheering you on from heaven, “Go Johnny!”.

I love you so much my son. You have become excellent in your character above all else. You have made your relationship with God a priority in your life. There is nothing more your daddy and I desire than that.

Happy birthday Johnny.

Proverbs 22:29 ~”Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.”