Auntie C.

Dear Horizon,

Let me tell you about your Auntie C. and why we are so blessed to have

her in our lives. She’s turning 60 years old this month, and that means it’s

time for a huge celebration of who she is and how her life has impacted

our family. I want to include you in that celebration, by telling you what to

expect when you are old enough to really know her. When you were born,

we made a commitment to connecting you to life- giving, soul-shining,

God- loving people, and your Auntie C. (AC from here on out in this

letter) is all those things and more.

When you first meet AC, you will get the most unique feeling of being

comfortable and at home with her, almost like you’ve known her for a

dozen years already AND you’ll also know that you are being carefully

observed as she gets to know you. Observing for her is not judging- it’s for

the sake of knowledge and determining how she should engage with you!

That’s a gift to be understood and seen like that.

You will know you need to be “on point”because you will be in the

presence of a great intuitive spirit, or an old soul as some say who doesn’t

suffer fools, but who draws other “real ones” close to her quickly. You’ll

connect with her authenticity and genuine hospitality. I hope it will remind

you of our home, and the feeling of connection we seek to create for you

all the time.

Speaking of home, at some point she will make you a meal. This meal

(whatever it is) will taste like happiness, comfort, and fun were the main

ingredients—-and you will want more- by the way you already

demonstrated this even as a baby last summer when you couldn’t get

enough of her lasagna in Washington DC!! If you’re lucky enough to have

that meal followed by one of her exquisite cakes or cupcake spreads, you

will experience the taste of joy and sweetness all mixed together in unique

flavors.

If you’re able to eat this meal with her whole family, you’ll see a unique

closeness, a literal human example of that phrase “mama bear” that has

encouraged my own protective instincts with you from the beginning of

your life. When other people questioned your mama’s decisions, AC was the one that

told me to stand strong and hold onto what we know in our hearts is right for you and our family. I’ll never forget the

grace she gave me. I hope you get to see that fierce love and connection

between her and her children in action and that you always feel that

same unbreakable connection with me.

If you get to work with her, you will find an un matched work ethic,

passion, vision and purpose in everything she does. When you come up

with an idea and share it, she is the one who will say YES to it and

expand upon it. She is an encourager. I hope you get to see her big

smile when she hears something wildly unusual you are planning or

suggesting. I guarantee you she will be the one who says how can we

make this happen, not why should we do this. And when the meeting

ends, she’ll be back shortly with the details and steps required to bring

your idea to life, and it might have already been put into motion before

you could even blink an eye. Then when some hater inevitably tries to use your idea as target

practice for their negativity, AC will have your back in private and in

public. She’s the realest. When people “act up”, she sees it coming from

a mile away and will already have helped you prepare a plan B or made

sure you just got out of the line of fire.

And the best part is, you’ll have so much fun working on things with her,

you won’t even notice how much time or effort it took because it will

flow naturally and in good humor. You’ll be able to laugh hard with her

at what doesn’t work out along the way or any of the craziness that

comes about, and her infectious laugh will make you laugh longer and

harder than you thought possible.

If she tells you about some of her challenging life experiences, you’ll

wonder how she still expresses so much faith trust and love in God-

but she will tell you it’s not in spite of those things, but because of

those things that she can stand in favor and in power with God’s

blessings upon her life. If you ever tell her about any challenges you’re having, you will know

her loyalty firsthand. You’ll receive wisdom AND welcome, even if you

tell her things you wouldn’t tell anyone else, and you’ll know she will

keep it between her and God in prayer. You’ll also feel better knowing

you can just speak and “say it like it is” whatever the situation is

without her judging you or liking you any less than she did before.

And if you live far away from her and go for long stretches without

talking, you’ll be amazed at how she picks up right where you left off

with no awkward distance or stress on the relationship. You’ll be

grateful for all the times you got to spend together, and in awe of the

strong foundation for a lifelong friendship that she helped you create

seemingly without effort.

Your dad and I can’t wait for you to get to know one of our

favorite people, Auntie C.