“Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen.” - Mark Twain

When you become a parent for the second time you’re confident with a bit of “I know this” attitude.

So when mom started your labour 18 years ago I thought to myself ok just relax this is gonna take another 5 days and we’ll probably end up cutting you up from inside her. Boy was I wrong and mom delivered you the natural way without any pain killers the next day/night. That’s your mom; a strong woman who always gives everything for her children’s best.

You were a lot bigger than the average newborn and the nurses where even joking about it by asking your mom where she had been hiding you.

The life with 2 kids was a lot harder than I could imagine at the time because 1 + 1 didn’t add up to 2 but rather 4. But after a while you could really start to see the difference in our family dynamics and the joy and love that you and your brother shared together something I can still see today.

You’ve taught me a lot about parenting, the importance of friendships and fairness and I’ll be forever thankful for those lessons.

Today I see a fantastic humanitarian before me with great ambitions, true grit and you execute whatever you’re focused on with precision, lots of work, passion and you do all this without ever neglecting your friends or family which is amazing.

You’ve been like a second father to Paula from day one and that was never something we asked for but something you decided to become. I believe you’ve built a very strong bond with your sister that you both will cherish for the rest of your lives.

Some last words:

Be yourself, listen to your head but follow your heart. Be kind, have fun, laugh, cry, work hard to follow your dreams. Don’t wait, do something amazing with your journey in life and make this world a better place, it sure needs it.

Mom and I’ll be here right next to you when you need us.

Love you,

Mom & Dad