A tree is not born with deep roots.

It needs to grow them.

As the tree grows, its branches reach toward the sky.

And its roots grow deep to find the things that nurture it.

The tree shares its beauty with the world.

But its strength comes from its roots, and the connections that they make.

You are a beautiful tree, and you make the world a better place.

Your roots are strong. They are Tyler, and Chelsea, and Seth, and Robert, and all the many people who love you.

Your roots are in Connecticut and Ohio, New York and Colorado, Arizona and California, the Redwoods, the Rockies, the Grand Canyon, and Alaska. They touch mountains and forests and lakes and oceans.

Your roots may reach all the way to England, and Ireland, and France; they may touch royalty, and people who have farmed the land, and built things, and lived amazing lives.

Those roots cannot ever be taken away from you. They have given you branches that touch the sky, and leaves that laugh in the wind, and shade and protection for those in need.

And you are helping your children to build strong roots of their own. To find love, and joy, and compassion… all the things that will help them grow.

You are a beautiful tree with deep and strong roots, and nothing will ever change that.