Birthday Wishes

Sweet sixteen, my girl. Today the world is yours to explore — but you'll always have a home that's already yours. Be bold. Be kind. Be unmistakably you. Happy 16th.

Happy birthday, my favorite nephew. Watching you grow into the person you're becoming is one of the slow joys of this family. You are braver than you know and kinder than you sometimes give yourself credit for. Whatever the world tries to make of you, remember , there are people back here who already think you're enough, exactly as you are. Happy birthday, kiddo.

Eighteen, nephew. The honest version: you now get to make your own mistakes, which is a privilege people underestimate. You don't have to be right. You just have to be honest about where you're going and why. The rest you figure out as you go , which is what every adult you know is still doing, regardless of what they tell you. Happy 18th. You're ready. Probably.

Happy birthday, niece. You're old enough now that I'm going to tell you the truth: you've been the best thing at every family gathering since you arrived. The rest of us are trying to keep up.

Happy birthday, friend. You have been my safe place and my best laugh and my late-night call and my whole damn lifeline more times than I can count. The world hands most people one or two like you, if they're lucky. I got you. I'm not letting go. Today the celebration is yours , and so is every drink I'll buy for the rest of the year.