Alex

The darkness of night still controls, but her day has already begun. She readies herself for the tasks that lay in front of her. It is life in a new universe, and she is grateful for the opportunities that have been presented.

She has always been grateful, fully aware of all that has been given to her, and all that she has earned. She understands this is a world where circumstances have not always been kind to others. She has been drawn, from the first, towards those in need. For her, ingrained in her substance, is a desire to assist.

And so, before the first hint of daylight has emerged, she is already moving about. She will get across town, and then onto a train that will take her most of the way on her journey. She is now about 6 months on the job and she should have a quiet confidence in her abilities. But that is not her nature and so there is always a nagging concern that she is not doing enough. She is a worrier. She inherited that quality from me, and for that I apologize.

I recently met her at her place of employment for the first time. I was surprised that the children, her patients, seemed so high functioning. But my daughter does not see people in terms of their disabilities, only by their abilities. She has the capacity to find what lays beneath the surface, that struggles to emerge. That is why, when she is able to bring forth the small miracles she witnesses every day, she is not surprised at all.

On this her 26th birthday, she will do the best she possibly can at her tasks. She knows no other way. She has been a committed sibling, a committed daughter, a committed student, a committed friend, a committed athlete and a committed worker throughout each and every day of her first 25 years. She strives, each and every moment, to make herself, and the world in which she lives, better. She knows no other way.

And so, on her birthday, I write this to her to tell her of the love and admiration I feel. I have been most fortunate to have a front row seat to everything that is my daughter. And I am thankful each and every day for the privilege that I have been given. I love you very much, and wish for you only that you maintain all the qualities that make you exactly the person you are today.