It’s been sixteen years, and how is it possible, that I can love them more? Souls merge and separate but the thread never breaks, and I hold the precious details of being their mother close while as a family, we continue to make our way through this life. How lucky to learn that I love teenagers, and that the myths about them were wrong? They have their own life stories now, and these photos say what I cannot, but to me they are a thousand words of chatter over breakfast, places we traveled this year, and my record of loving them from a distance, always only one step away.

At 16, they are going to school in a new country, learning to drive, dancing at family weddings, playing school sports, discovering the joy of fast-food burritos, and uncovering new skills, struuggles, and confidences. I imagined 16 would have more strife than this, but so far, 16 is turning out to be a pretty nice year.

Happy Birthday my precious ones! I love you forever and always, until the end of time.