You have fought to be here from day one.  From that first mighty newborn cry that put this mama’s heart at ease – and made it swell with a pride I had never felt before – to the exaggerated, intentional steps you now take in your gait trainer, life hasn’t come easy for you.

I think we think of warriors as actively fighting – a constant motion – a sword drawn, worn and bloody from battle.  But that’s not the type of warrior you are.  Your body has fought some significant battles, but you do so quietly.  You are a warrior of resilience and determination.  It’s a quiet strength, of a kind far stronger than one of significant volume.

You have been through far more in your life than I have.  I experience only a taste, as I walk alongside you with every step.  But your strength astounds me every single day.  Your willingness to keep putting one foot in front of the other, even when (we are told) every bit of progress comes much harder for you.

You show up.  You do the work, every single day.  And you do it with so much enthusiasm and joy.  So many smiles and giggle-fests.  You are the reason I am able to keep showing up, too, even on my darkest days.

If you can fight, every step, every day, so can I.  So will I.

For you, my heart warrior.