Dearest Daniel & Sofia.
So I know writing one letter for the both of you is cheating, especially when Rebeka got her own deep & meaningful letter on her birthday. In fact Sofes I am a few days late for yours but it gets kinda crazy with all 3 of you having birthdays in the same 2 week period.
So I guess let me start with YOU Sofia.
Happy, HAPPY 17th birthday for Tuesday. Yes I know it was COVID and poured with rain and actually a blah day but you being you took it in your stride and did not lament against the world for the shitty day. We trust next year when you hit 18 life is more normal and we can celebrate you as you deserve to be celebrated.
You have always fascinated me because you are this amazing blend of so many characteristics and quirkytraits that make you unique and unable to neatly package or label. At your age, your peers and friends and expectations so often define one. Not you, as you say…I just does. You just do, you just are. I don’t know many girls who wake up at 3:00am to watch a UFC fight or formula one but also watch make up tutorials and endless TikToks.
You walk out the door with your gorgeous thick dark blonde hair and fab fake lashes dressed up to the nines and you turn heads with your quiet confidence and swag. And then the very next day you are rolling on the mat in jujitsu or catching a crazy monster fish in the dark or sewing a pair of pants from scratch. You shoot like a boss when I am way too scared to even pick up the gun. You can fight with your body and you can fight with your intellect. You do not shout but you quietly take on anyone who treats others unfairly. I think your career path will definitely be something involving social justice and advocacy for those who need it. You will have to google what this means!
You have this mysterious energy about you and elusive vibe. Even I as your mother can only grab you for brief moments. It’s hard to explain but you have always marched to the beat of your own drum. Few are allowed to get close but those that do have your fierce loyalty and precious trust. You literally have their back and they know it.
You cook, you dance, you braai, you fight, you bead, you sew, you shoot, you fish, you camp, you paint, you do. You do everything, ok you don’t read and can’t spell but you are so capable and bright I look forward to watching you take off and fly one day.
I told you how absolutely crazy in love I was with you when you were born and how I never put you down. Maybe I knew you were the girl with big big dreams in a big big world and I had to hold onto you while I could. The world is your oyster my Sofes. Just a little while longer till you are done with school then I imagine a swoosh of light and glitter and you are off to chase dreams in your pimped up van or whatever your magic carpet ride entails. I am proud to be your Mom and we love you very much.
Daniel!
So it’s your ACTUAL birthday today but unfortunately we are not with you. I guess at age 25 you don’t always spend the day with your Mama. I used to wonder what it would be like when I was 50 and you were 25. Both of us adults and you half my age. And here we are, a whole lifetime has passed. I was so young and I was so fiercely crazy about you. When you have your first child it’s the birth of the baby but it is also the birth of the mother. Daniel’s mom. I loved saying that. I loved making an appointment and saying “hi this is Daniel’s mom.”
Holy moly it’s been one crazy ride for us. I was so shit scared taking you home from the hospital. It was a night like tonight, stormy and rainy. And I was tasked with raising this infant and preparing him for life. And I did.
I was so deliberate and serious about parenting back then. The responsibility of knowing what you do and don't do has this long lasting impact on someone forever, is hectic.
After a while we found our rhythm and we had the best time together just the 2 of us. And then we met Dad and had your sisters and got the dogs and somehow life raced by and we navigated all the stages and ages of being a kid and a teen and a student and now you are a real life adult.
Can I just say you were forking naughty and hard work and always in trouble and I 100% have earned that beach house. Plett not Hermanus please!! Getting you through school was like running in thick sand in the dark with heels.
But we did it, got you to matric and then uni and then you and Jacques started Specno and it’s flying and you are 100% living your absolute best life. Sadly that baby cot I have kept seems to be staying in storage for many more years and my grandbaby now replaced by your company you put your heart and soul into.
I love you Daniel. You are the WORST at replying to my whatsapps but our bond is unbreakable and Dad and I are always here when you need us for absolutely anything. It has been our privilege to provide you with the solid foundation to build your life upon.
Happy birthday Daniel, we love you always and forever.
