Day 173- Maksim Juras Philo

Dear Maks,

Welcome to the world, little guy! Everyone has been waiting to hear from you all day (and for the past week or so... ahem), and we are all extremely excited that you finally decided to come out and meet your parents.

Speaking of your parents, boy are you lucky. To know them is to love them… I’m sure you’ll figure that out pretty quickly yourself. I’ve known them both since we were just little whippersnappers, and they have been such an important part of my life. We have been around for just about every major milestone in each other’s lives—proms, graduations, 21st birthdays, weddings (check out my Maid of Honor toast for some funny stories about your parents), jobs, spring breaks, apartments, houses, and now you…

Knowing your parents, I just know that you will be extraordinary. From your mom, you will inherit a work ethic and determination that will lead you to accomplish anything you can dream of, just like she has. From your dad, you will learn how to be silly and sweet and how to treat the ladies (but no hurry on that one, little dude). From both of your parents, you will gain a strong devotion to your faith, a pure and genuine heart, a crazy older sister (sorry, Lily the Dog, you know it’s true), a solid set of morals, an adoration of ice cream, a love of sports, a real sense of humor, and maybe even an affinity for cheesy pop songs. They will love you and challenge you and be amazing parents, so you better appreciate them! That being said, if you ever need any blackmail material, I’m your go-to girl ;).

I wish that I could be there to meet you when you come home from the hospital, but we’ll have to wait until July. I'll just have to make it up to you with some presents!  Try not to grow up too much before then. I will pick up with your parents right where we left out, and I’m sure that you and I always be able to do that too. After all, I’ve known your parents since we were little, but I get to say I knew you from when you were zero!

Right now, I love you simply because you exist. I can’t wait to meet you, to hold you, and to begin to discover all of the other reasons why we’ll be great pals. I want to leave you, for now, with the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, “Forever Young” by Bob Dylan (see… I’m kind of cool…).  Thanks for making your parents so happy and for making their dreams come true.

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.


May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.


Much love XOXO,

Crazy Aunt Jessi

Thank you, Maksim Juras Philo, you made my day.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Oh Jess - you made me cry (and Mark too!), but in such a good way. I can't wait for you to meet our little guy. He is so precious and I can't believe how many people already love him so dearly. We feel so blessed to have been given this gift by God. Thank you for such a wonderful tribute - Maks is going to love his aunt Jessi so much! :)
June 9, 2010 at 9:06 AM
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