A love letter to Mito

Do you have any idea how sweet your smile is, my beloved? You melt my heart with even just a sliver of it. Sometimes, when I’m busy with something else, and you’re playing, and then you catch me looking at you, you smile at me with such reassurance, as though to calm my guilt at not spending my every waking moment with you. You are such an angel, Mito.

Every day, we go off to work and you smile at us before we leave. You accept that we do what we need to do, and you don’t begrudge us that. When we get home at night, you grace us again with your smile, and you show your excitement that we can spend time again together. What did we ever do to deserve you, anak?

I am sorry that we don’t have a perfect family, Mito. Your father and I are adults, we mess things up. But you, you are innocence. And forgiveness. And love personified. You convict us of our selfishness, you make it possible for us to go beyond ourselves and do whatever is best for you.

My prayer is for you to always be healthy, always be safe. Don’t let our faults harm you, my son. Don’t let our failures drag you down. You are so much more than your father and myself, combined. You are the favor, the blessing, the responsibility God gave to us.

We love you, Mito. We will be eternally grateful for you, and to you.