For Jordan. On 33.

January 23, 2023

For my son, Jordan Chiero on his 33rd birthday.

Looking back on raising a child is like watching a highlight reel. Memory records the milestones, the high and low points, and the “becomings.” The day you became a walker. The day you became a bike rider, swimmer, baseball player. The day you became a brother. The day you became a first grader, a high school graduate, then a college graduate. You became a college athlete, a professional athlete, and the captain of your team. Post academics you became a coach of athletes and you became a homeowner.

On August 29, 2020 you became a husband to Haley.

All of these “becomings” moved the needle of growth and maturity, but none so much as on November 3, 2022 when you became a father to Cora. Many of my Mom-peers told me that the most gratifying part of becoming a grandmother was watching your child become a parent, and it is. I have watched you fall in love, again. With this love comes the greatest challenge, responsibility, and adventure of any of the prior “becomings.” I’m so proud of the way you have already met and exceeded that challenge with a love for Cora that you didn’t know was in you.

Happy Birthday. I hope the love you have for your daughter is a reminder of the love I’ve had for you every day of your life. The love that I’ve tried, albeit imperfectly, to verbalize, protect, exhibit, and bestow. Now your “becomings” start - and it is my joy to become a "Nana."