Let’s Hear It for the Boy: Celebrating the Child Who Taught Me to See the World Differently
Let’s Hear It for the Boy: Celebrating the Child Who Taught Me to See the World Differently
By Angel, Founder of AMC Rise and Thrive
🌅 Welcome,
Friend
Welcome back to AMC Rise and Thrive. 🤍
Today feels a little different.
There are some stories we write because we have something
profound to teach. And then there are stories we write simply because our
hearts are full and we need somewhere to put all that gratitude.
This is one of those stories.
Sometimes life gives us ordinary days that become
extraordinary simply because we were together.
A birthday.
A cake.
A few decorations.
A house that is temporarily covered in balloons.
A teenager who is growing entirely too fast.
And a mother standing somewhere in the middle of it all,
looking around and realizing, How did we get here already?
Recently, we got to celebrate my son's birthday.
And honestly?
I am still smiling about it. 🥹
💛
Sometimes Celebration Looks Nothing Like We Planned
Birthdays can make us sentimental.
They have a funny way of making us look backward and forward
at the same time.
We look at the person standing in front of us, but we also
remember the tiny hands, the little clothes, the first birthdays, the moments
we thought would last forever.
And suddenly, we realize that time has been moving while we
were busy living.
This year, I found myself thinking about how different the
birthday looked from previous years.
Usually, when we're home, I decorate while my son is at
school. I can take my time. I can put everything together without him seeing
the process. I can wrap presents, arrange decorations, hide surprises, and have
everything ready before he walks through the door.
This time was different.
He was more involved.
He saw some of the behind-the-scenes birthday preparation.
And let me tell you—getting everything done while he was
around was a completely different experience. 😂
I went to two Dollar Trees because apparently one trip
was not enough.
I bought balloons, which I do every year.
Except now that my baby is getting older, the number of
balloons required seems to increase significantly.
At this rate, I may need a warehouse.
I picked up decorations. I picked up his cake. His dad took
him to the beach while I came back and started wrapping presents faster than I
have ever wrapped anything in my life.
And, of course, I forgot to wrap one.
Guess who found it?
Yep.
😂
I tried to hide the rest because I didn't want him getting his
presents early. I tucked things into bags and found places around the unit
where I hoped they would remain unnoticed.
Somehow, I managed it.
Mostly.
And eventually, everyone came back before I had finished
decorating.
So much for my perfectly timed birthday operation.
But you know what?
It didn't matter.
Because birthdays don't have to look perfect to be beautiful.
🌱 The
Beauty in the Little Things
I think sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves to
create the perfect experience.
The perfect holiday.
The perfect birthday.
The perfect family gathering.
The perfect photograph.
The perfect memory.
But real life is rarely that polished.
Real life is forgetting to wrap one of the presents.
Real life is rushing around looking for decorations.
Real life is making another trip to the store because you
didn't get everything you needed the first time.
Real life is hiding presents in places you hope your child
won't find them.
Real life is laughing when the plan doesn't go according to
plan.
And somehow, those imperfect moments often become the memories
we treasure most.
After everything was ready—or as ready as it was going to
be—we went swimming.
We took a walk around the property.
We opened presents.
We had dinner.
Then came cake and ice cream. 🎂🍦
Nothing about it needed to be extravagant.
He was happy.
And at the end of the day, that is what mattered.
There is something sacred about watching someone you love
experience joy.
You don't need to manufacture it.
You don't need to explain it.
You simply get to stand there and receive the blessing of
witnessing it.
🌿 The
Tablet, the Amazon Vans & the Skill I Didn't Know I Had
Of course, there was one particular birthday story that made
me laugh.
My son has a tablet.
And I have repaired this tablet more times than I care to
count.
Three times at the beginning of the year alone.
Then, back in May, he broke it again.
I was mad.
I remember thinking, I am not fixing this thing right now.
I told myself he might get it back for his birthday.
Maybe.
Eventually.
We'll see.
😂
Meanwhile, every time we were out and my son saw an Amazon
delivery van, he assumed it contained his new tablet.
One time, he actually yelled at the driver:
"Tablet! TABLET!"
I could not help but laugh.
Because in his mind, the logic was perfectly clear.
Amazon van + birthday coming = tablet.
Meanwhile, I had already ordered the replacement part.
And I had already repaired the tablet.
I've learned how to repair his devices because sending them
away for repairs can be incredibly expensive. What started as necessity slowly
became a skill.
And honestly?
I'm proud of myself.
So proud that when it was my dad's birthday, I decided to try
something I had never dared to do before.
I repaired his phone screen.
For about $50, his phone was fixed.
And I remember thinking, Okay, Angel. Look at you.
Sometimes we discover abilities inside ourselves because life
gives us no choice but to figure something out.
We don't always recognize the growth while we're in the middle
of it.
We simply solve the problem in front of us.
Then one day, we look back and realize:
Wait a minute. I actually know how to do this now.
There is something powerful about that.
Life doesn't always hand us confidence first.
Sometimes we gain confidence because we survived enough
situations that required us to learn.
✨ What If
Motherhood Is Also About Learning to See Differently?
One of the greatest lessons my son has given me is that there
is more than one way to experience the world.
He has taught me patience.
He has taught me to communicate differently.
He has taught me that words are not the only way people
express themselves.
He has taught me to slow down.
To pay attention.
To observe.
To listen beyond what is being said.
And perhaps most importantly, he has taught me not to measure
a person's worth by how closely they fit someone else's expectations.
That lesson extends far beyond motherhood.
We live in a world that can sometimes overlook people who
communicate differently, behave differently, learn differently, or experience
life differently.
People can be quick to notice what someone doesn't do.
They notice the differences.
The challenges.
The things that don't fit neatly into society's expectations.
But what happens when we learn to look deeper?
What happens when instead of asking, "Why isn't this
person like everyone else?" we ask, "What can I learn from the
way this person experiences the world?"
What if difference isn't something that always needs to be
corrected?
What if sometimes it is something that needs to be understood?
What if love begins with making room?
My son may experience the world differently than I do.
But he is smart.
He is loving.
He is funny.
He has his own personality, his own interests, his own ways of
communicating and connecting.
And he has taught me things I don't think I could have learned
from a textbook.
There are lessons you can only learn by loving someone deeply.
❤️ In a
World That Doesn't Always Understand, Love Still Knows
One of the things I am most grateful for is knowing that my
son is loved.
Every year, I pass along the birthday wishes people send him.
I want him to know.
I want him to understand that people thought about him.
That people remembered him.
That his life matters.
That his presence matters.
That he belongs.
In a world that can sometimes ignore people because they are
different, my baby is loved.
And I am genuinely grateful for that.
Because underneath every birthday decoration, every wrapped
present, every cake, every balloon, and every photograph is something much more
important:
Belonging.
The knowledge that there are people who celebrate your
existence.
Not because you performed perfectly.
Not because you met every expectation.
Not because you fit into a particular mold.
But simply because you are you.
That is a gift.
And honestly, I think all of us need that reminder sometimes.
You don't have to become someone else to be worthy of love.
You don't have to fit every expectation placed upon you.
You don't have to explain your entire existence to people who
have already decided not to understand you.
There is freedom in knowing that you are loved by God and held
by the people who truly see you.
🌅 Watching
My Little Boy Become a Young Man
Then there is the part of birthdays that always sneaks up on
me.
My son is getting older.
And I mean really older.
This is the same child I carried inside my body.
When I think about what my body went through to bring this boy
into the world, it is almost impossible to reconcile that memory with the
person standing in front of me now.
He is bigger than me.
My little boy is no longer little.
And somehow, I wasn't given permission to slow down time.
Nobody asked me if I was ready.
One day you are carrying your child.
Then you're buying tiny clothes.
Then you're chasing a toddler.
Then you're helping with school.
Then suddenly you're looking up at someone who is taller than
you wondering where the years went.
And yes, teenagers can flip a switch at the drop of a hat.
Let's just be honest about that. 😂
But even through all of the moods, growing pains, changes, and
challenges, I am grateful.
Grateful that he is here.
Grateful that he is healthy and happy most of the time.
Grateful that we get another year.
Grateful for every laugh.
Every birthday.
Every unexpected moment.
Every lesson.
Every opportunity to love him a little better than I did
yesterday.
🚶 Walking
Forward With Gratitude
As parents, caregivers, family members, and simply as human
beings, we can become so focused on what needs to be fixed that we forget to
celebrate what is already beautiful.
So maybe there is an invitation here for all of us.
Celebrate what is working.
Celebrate the progress that nobody else sees.
Celebrate the skills you didn't know you could learn.
Celebrate the people who make your life richer simply by being
in it.
Celebrate another year.
Another opportunity.
Another birthday.
Another morning.
Another conversation.
Another chance to say, I love you.
And if your celebration doesn't look like somebody else's,
that is okay.
Your life doesn't have to look picture-perfect to be
meaningful.
Maybe your celebration is cake and ice cream.
Maybe it's a quiet dinner.
Maybe it's sitting beside someone you love.
Maybe it's finally making it through a difficult season.
Maybe it's simply waking up and realizing, We made it
another year.
That counts, too.
God is present in the big moments.
But I believe He is also present in the little ones.
In the balloons.
In the laughter.
In the repaired tablet.
In the Amazon delivery van.
In the cake.
In the swimming.
In the family gathered around the table.
In the mother standing back and realizing that her baby is
growing up.
There is holiness in ordinary life when we remember to notice
it. ✨
❤️ A
Moment to Sit With Your Heart
Before you rush into whatever comes next, take a moment.
Take a breath.
And talk with God about the people and moments you have been
given.
You might ask yourself:
- Who
in my life deserves to hear how deeply they are loved?
- What
ordinary moment have I overlooked because I was waiting for something
bigger?
- What
has someone I love taught me that I never expected to learn?
- Where
have I grown in ways I haven't stopped to recognize?
- What
would it look like to celebrate the life I have instead of constantly
comparing it to the life I imagined?
You don't have to answer all of them.
Sometimes one question is enough to open a door.
Sit with it.
Let God meet you there.
🙏 Five
Affirmations for Celebration & Gratitude
I celebrate the life, love, and blessings God has placed
before me.
I honor the growth that has happened through every season.
I allow myself to appreciate ordinary moments as sacred gifts.
I do not have to fit someone else's expectations to be worthy
of love.
I trust God to guide me as I continue growing, loving, and
learning.
📖
Scripture Reflection
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning."
— James 1:17 (KJV)
I love this verse for a moment like this because birthdays
naturally make us think about gifts.
But not every gift comes wrapped in paper.
Some gifts arrive as people.
Some arrive as lessons.
Some arrive as unexpected abilities we develop because life
requires us to stretch.
Some gifts look like laughter around the dinner table.
Some look like another year with someone we love.
And some gifts are so ordinary that we don't recognize them
until we look back.
James reminds us to recognize where our blessings ultimately
come from.
The next time something small brings you unexpected joy,
pause.
Don't rush past it.
Thank God for it.
The healthy day.
The conversation.
The laugh.
The person sitting beside you.
These moments may not make headlines, but they can still make
a life.
🎵 Song of
the Day:
“Let’s Hear It for the Boy” by Deniece Williams
For today’s song I felt it only right and honestly, how could
I choose anything else?
This song captures that joyful feeling of celebrating someone
you love simply because they are your person.
The song doesn't present perfection as the requirement for
love. Instead, it celebrates affection, personality, connection, and the unique
qualities that make someone special.
That's what I feel when I look at my son.
I don't celebrate him because he fits into somebody else's
definition of what a child should be.
I celebrate him because he is him.
My wonderful, funny, smart, loving,
sometimes-makes-me-want-to-pull-my-hair-out boy. 😂🤍
He has taught me patience.
He has taught me another language of communication.
He has taught me to pay attention to things I might have
otherwise missed.
He has challenged me to see beyond appearances and
expectations.
And he has reminded me that love doesn't require someone to
experience the world exactly as I do.
Sometimes love means learning their language.
Sometimes it means meeting them where they are.
Sometimes it means celebrating their victories even when those
victories look different from what you imagined.
So today, we're celebrating my boy.
The one who sees the world in his own unique way.
The one who has taught his mama more than he probably
realizes.
The one who is growing way too fast.
And the one who deserves to hear it:
Let's hear it for the boy. 💙🎉
Take a listen to the song and let yourself think about someone
you love.
Who makes you want to cheer?
Who has changed you?
Who has taught you something simply by being themselves?
Sometimes a song can say what our hearts have been trying to
say all along.
🌼 Final
Thoughts
There are moments in life when you realize the thing you are
celebrating is much bigger than the occasion itself.
This birthday wasn't just about presents.
It wasn't just about decorations.
It wasn't just about cake.
It was about another year of life.
Another year of learning.
Another year of love.
Another year of watching my son grow into the person he is
becoming.
And another year of realizing that motherhood has changed me
just as much as I have tried to guide him.
So yes, the balloons are going up.
The cake is getting eaten.
The presents are getting opened.
The tablet has somehow survived another round.
And my baby continues to get taller while I continue to wonder
how that happened so quickly. 😂
But underneath all of it is gratitude.
Deep, simple, overwhelming gratitude.
For his life.
For his health.
For his laughter.
For his uniqueness.
For the lessons.
For the love.
And for the privilege of being his mother.
Maybe that is what I want to leave with you today:
Celebrate the people you love while you have them
here.
Don't wait for the perfect occasion.
Don't wait until everything is figured out.
Don't wait until life looks exactly the way you thought it
would.
Celebrate the little victories.
Celebrate the people who make you laugh.
Celebrate the ones who have taught you how to love
differently.
And celebrate yourself, too.
Because you have grown through things you never expected to
face.
You have learned things you never planned to learn.
You have survived days you once wondered how you would get
through.
And here you are.
Still growing.
Still loving.
Still becoming.
Still rising.
Still thriving.
May God continue to bless my son as he grows, protect him
wherever life takes him, surround him with people who recognize his worth, and
guide me with the wisdom to love him well through every season.
And may He remind all of us that sometimes the greatest
blessings aren't the things we receive.
Sometimes they're the people we get to love.
With love and gratitude,
Angel 🤍
AMC Rise and Thrive
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