At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

If….




If you can keep your head when all about you
  Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
  But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
  Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
  And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;
  If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
  And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
  Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
  And stoop and build’em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
  And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
  And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
  To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
  Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
  Or walk with Kings — nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
  If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
  With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
  And which is more; you’ll be a Man, my son!
Rudyard  Kipling 


Happy 18th Birthday my precious grown-up baby boy. 



 Every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, of every year of your 18 years of life have been a joy to me. 



 You have never given us a moment of grief or tribulation, but only laughter and blessing.  Your love for the Lord shines through in all you do.  



I love you from the depths of my being and for eternity. 

Your mom


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Comments

  1. Happy birthday to your son! That is a big milestone in each of your lives. My son turned 18 last December. I didn’t realize we had boys the same age. Mine is graduating highschool next month too. Scary!

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  5. Oh! Now Aunt Vanessa has been reduced to a blubbering mess first thing in the morning reading this! How on earth can this be possible? He is forever in my mind the little 4 year old ring bearer in our wedding, cracking everyone up with his one-liners and charming everyone with his personality. I guess he hasn’t changed that much after all! Happy Birthday to the most wonderful young man we know and don’t forget that just because you are getting older doesn’t mean that we are too! 😉
    We love you so much and wish we could be there to celebrate this milestone with you!
    Aunt Vanessa

    Reply

  8. Your love and pride for your son show through so well and your choice of poetry is perfect for such a fine young man! Lucky you to have such a wonderful son and lucky world that you have raised a good man! ~ Maureen

    Reply

  10. A bittersweet day for you, isn’t it, Heather? Happy birthday to your boy–your man–your son! “If” is one of my favorite poems of all time. 🙂

    Reply

  11. That is truly one of my all time favorite poems…along with “Children Learn What They Live”….Happy Birthday to your son..and even though they get older and leave the nest one day…they will always know where home is….a place where he is loved unconditionally…you are a good mom!

    Reply

  13. Poppa and I are feeling quite emotional today because we can’t believe our beloved grandson is 18. We remember what a darling little boy he was – playing on the beach, traveling with us, riding Paco, playing in the barn and pasture, riding the go-cart and the ATV. Even more important than those days, is experiencing him as a young man and the big hugs he gave us after his Christmas visit and expressing his love to us. Now, THAT’s our boy!

    We love that young man,

    Poppa and Nonna

    Reply

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