Birthday Tribute

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Today is your 25th birthday, and my heart aches knowing I can’t celebrate with you here. But I’m honoring you today, my sweet boy, who changed our family in ways I could never have imagined.

When you came into our lives, you added so much joy! You weren’t just my second child, you were your own person with your own spirit, your own personality, your own irreplaceable place in our hearts. You brought a different kind of joy, a different kind of love. Our family grew not just in size but in depth the day you arrived.

I remember how Dylan looked at you, how our dynamic shifted and expanded to make room for you. You had your own way of doing things, your own quirks, your own light. And watching you grow, seeing who you were becoming, those are gifts I’ll treasure forever.

Losing you has left a void that nothing can fill. Our family feels incomplete without you. I think of you often, but my heart has accepted your absence. I say your name out loud and it pains my heart because I want you here. The absence is constant, but so is the love.

Today, I’m thinking about all the birthdays we celebrated together and all the ones I wish we could still share. I’m remembering your smile, your voice, the little things that made you uniquely you. I’m holding onto every memory like the precious gift it is.

You will always be my second-born son. Always my child. Always loved. Always missed. Always remembered.

I love you, Darren. Happy Birthday in Heaven, sweetheart. Until we’re together again.

Love Mom

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