A Letter to Joey - Age 17
Seventeen years ago? How can that be? And yet, it is, indeed, seventeen years ago that you arrived and we got to marvel at and hold you for the first time. Your pediatrician told me to hold onto the receipt, you know, just in case. What a bargain you were!
You have always been our X Factor son. Curious and questioning, reasoning and resolute. Your Kindergarten teacher called you her little engineer. You loved GeoTrax and trains, Cars Movie and cars - and always a specific within the general - you loved Volkswagens for some reason, Snivy (during your Pokémon phase), and Dale Jr.’s #8 during your first obsession with NASCAR. I remember how you deconstructed Tommy’s Lego Ferrari and rebuilt it correctly when you were four, how we’ve all stepped on the Legos you’ve left in your building wake. You are both passionate and deliberate. I love how you think your positions through before you present them to us. I love your analytical mind mixed with your artistic creativity.
You’ve been through the wringer these last few years - your freshman year alone saw you adapting to high school, adolescence, contacts, braces, the discipline of being part of the track team, and the sudden loss of most of the hearing and clarity in your right ear. Your dad’s and my hearts hurt so much for you, this uncharted territory for all of us, wishing we could take that all away from you. But, you stepped up. While you hope for a medical miracle to help your future, you have been incredibly mature about taking on the additional responsibilities thrown at you by a life curveball. You’ve excelled as both a scholar and an athlete, a brother and a son. Sometimes, I’ve referred to you as “My Hero” because you have been strong when I’ve wanted to collapse, you have been logical when I’ve been emotional. You have shown grace, patience and determination, not letting circumstances determine your path.
We are sorry that you didn’t get a track season this year, thanks to Covid-19. We know you were looking forward to it and we love to watch you run. We hope that your Senior track season is fantastic for you. We hope a lot of things for you, that’s part of the fabric of being a parent. Some of the things we share with you and some we keep tucked in our hearts, watching your life unfold. In the short time we’ve known you, we’ve discovered a baby, a boy and a young man who is smart, who is funny, who is a master at articulating what he is thinking, who is kind and who is a joy. There is “joy” in Joey - so much joy. Give us a hug.
Your story, at seventeen, has barely begun. We can’t wait to see how the plot unfolds, goodness knows the character development has been strong, thoughtful and nuanced. I still have that hospital receipt. We paid a little for you, but what we got that day seventeen years ago today, what we have now, it’s so, so priceless.
We love you,
You have always been our X Factor son. Curious and questioning, reasoning and resolute. Your Kindergarten teacher called you her little engineer. You loved GeoTrax and trains, Cars Movie and cars - and always a specific within the general - you loved Volkswagens for some reason, Snivy (during your Pokémon phase), and Dale Jr.’s #8 during your first obsession with NASCAR. I remember how you deconstructed Tommy’s Lego Ferrari and rebuilt it correctly when you were four, how we’ve all stepped on the Legos you’ve left in your building wake. You are both passionate and deliberate. I love how you think your positions through before you present them to us. I love your analytical mind mixed with your artistic creativity.
You’ve been through the wringer these last few years - your freshman year alone saw you adapting to high school, adolescence, contacts, braces, the discipline of being part of the track team, and the sudden loss of most of the hearing and clarity in your right ear. Your dad’s and my hearts hurt so much for you, this uncharted territory for all of us, wishing we could take that all away from you. But, you stepped up. While you hope for a medical miracle to help your future, you have been incredibly mature about taking on the additional responsibilities thrown at you by a life curveball. You’ve excelled as both a scholar and an athlete, a brother and a son. Sometimes, I’ve referred to you as “My Hero” because you have been strong when I’ve wanted to collapse, you have been logical when I’ve been emotional. You have shown grace, patience and determination, not letting circumstances determine your path.
We are sorry that you didn’t get a track season this year, thanks to Covid-19. We know you were looking forward to it and we love to watch you run. We hope that your Senior track season is fantastic for you. We hope a lot of things for you, that’s part of the fabric of being a parent. Some of the things we share with you and some we keep tucked in our hearts, watching your life unfold. In the short time we’ve known you, we’ve discovered a baby, a boy and a young man who is smart, who is funny, who is a master at articulating what he is thinking, who is kind and who is a joy. There is “joy” in Joey - so much joy. Give us a hug.
Your story, at seventeen, has barely begun. We can’t wait to see how the plot unfolds, goodness knows the character development has been strong, thoughtful and nuanced. I still have that hospital receipt. We paid a little for you, but what we got that day seventeen years ago today, what we have now, it’s so, so priceless.
We love you,
Mom and Dad
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