An Uncommon Beauty- Letter to Whitney... 16th Birthday

An uncommon beauty, inside and out... the best thing your mom and I ever made together...

You have been a joy to me all of your life. I'm so proud of the young woman you've become, the successes that you have achieved, and the limitless opportunities that the future holds for you.

It's been sixteen years, but I'll never forget the day we met. It was Oct 7th, 1994 in the delivery room of Presbyterian Hospital... The second I held you in my arms, you had my heart forever.

Even as a baby, you had an "old soul" level of intelligence that was (and still is) a constant source of wonderment, not only to your mom and me, but to everyone in your life.

You said some remarkable things as a wobbling toddler,

You were two years old when we had one of my favorite conversations...

"Daddy, does the trees' moving make the wind blow?"

"Honey, I think it's the other way around. But I love the way you think and I love your question for another reason... "

"Why, Daddy?"

"Because for the rest of my life, I will never look at trees moving on a windy day without thinking of you."

And I never have...