Happy Birthday, Son!

Sweet Memories, Together, Always!

Some birthdays arrive quietly, carrying more meaning than candles or cake ever could.

This one does that.

While working deep inside The Matriarch’s Legacy, surrounded by stories of becoming, leaving, returning, and carrying what truly matters, I found myself pausing—pulled out of the past and firmly into the present. Into motherhood. Into gratitude. Into wonder at how swiftly time moves.

It feels like just yesterday you were newborn, small enough to rest entirely in my arms. And somehow, in a blink, here you are—grown, grounded, and standing at the edge of what comes next.

This poem came in that pause.

A Wish & A Prayer

Once rooted, once resting,

now lifted by air—

a life in transition,

becoming more than it was there.

It feels like only yesterday

you were new to this world,

small hands, first breaths,

a beginning barely unfurled.

Like the butterfly,

you move when the time is right,

trusting the wind,

learning the strength of your flight.

What you carry forward

was never meant to stay small—

every season has shaped you,

every fall taught you how to rise tall.

Something new is calling,

though its shape remains unnamed;

you’ve listened in silence,

and followed where peace remained.

Eric, may God go before you,

steady your steps, and guard your way.

May grace meet you in the unknown,

and joy rise with each new day.

There are moments in life when we don’t need to name what’s ahead to trust it. We simply recognize the peace that accompanies the next step. This is one of those moments.

May your paths always lead forward with courage—and may they always, always know the way back to where you began. You are deeply loved, endlessly prayed for, and profoundly missed in all the quiet ways that matter most.

Happy Birthday, Eric.

Reflection

Writing historical fiction often pulls me backward through time, but every so often it brings me fully into the present. This poem arrived while I was working on The Matriarch’s Legacy, a reminder that legacy isn’t only what we inherit—it’s also what we release with love. Motherhood teaches us this again and again: to hold, to bless, and to trust God with what comes next.