This page is for you, my dearest sons. A testament to a love that never wavered, a truth that binds us, and a profound sense of belonging that I pray you always feel. Know that every step of my journey, every lesson learned, and every prayer whispered, was always, in its truest form, for you. You were my why long before I ever had the words for it.

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒚 𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒂𝒏: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑴𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝑴𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒘

You were the one I didn’t see coming.
A whisper from God that said, “I’m not done blessing you yet.”
My baby.
My last born.
The final piece of the puzzle that made our family whole.

DaMiaN, from the very beginning, there was something about you, 
An old soul wrapped in a quiet strength.
You didn’t cry loud. You didn’t demand.
You simply arrived, and in your stillness, you changed me.

With your older brothers, I was still learning.
I was rougher around the edges, desperate to get it “right.”
But with you, I softened.
I slowed down.
You taught me that parenting isn’t about control, it’s about connection.

You’re my silent storm.
To the world, you may be funny, cool, and bold, 
But with me, you hold back, and I’ve learned to listen between the silences.
I see you, son.
Even when you don’t say much, I hear your heart.
Even when you try to act tough, I know you’re tender.

Teenage years haven’t been easy for you, I know.
There are moments when I feel you slipping through my fingers,
testing your wings before they’ve fully formed.
You want to learn things the hard way sometimes, and Lord knows that scares me.
But no matter how far you wander, you always find your way back to my arms.
That tells me I’ve done something right.

You’ve made me better, DaMiaN.
Because of you, I see parenting through a new lens.
Not the one handed to me by my past,
but the one crafted from patience, understanding, and unconditional love.

I’ve watched you make some of the same mistakes I saw in my brothers,
and yet you’ve reminded me that I’m not the same parent I grew up with.
You’ve given me the space to evolve.
To break generational patterns.
To lead with love instead of fear.

You are kind.
You are brilliant.
You are thoughtful in ways the world doesn’t always reward, but God surely does.

One day, when you read this as a man,
I hope you know that you were never an afterthought.
You were the divine exhale of a long journey.
The chapter I didn’t plan, but desperately needed.

Thank you for making me new.
Thank you for making me slow down and see.
Thank you for being the calm after so many storms.

I will always be your safe place.
Even when you’re grown, even when you’re far, 
My heart will always carry the shape of your name.

With all the love I have,

𝐌𝐨𝐦

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒀 Dorrian: The Gentle Giant with a Heart of Gold

My middle child.
But there’s nothing middle about you.
You’re my balance, my bright spot, my breath of fresh air.
Dorrian; my kind, gentle, hilarious, strong young man.
You are the kind of person this world desperately needs more of.
And somehow, God gave you to me.

I’ve watched you grow into someone I admire.
Not just love, but look up to.
You walk through life with such ease,
helping others without ever keeping score,
celebrating people like it’s your full-time job,
and lighting up every room you enter, without even trying.

You’re my basketball All-Star,
but your real superpower is your soul.
It’s the way you care.
The way you see people.
The way you never shy away from a hard conversation or a deep question.
You’ve got a heart so wide and so open, I sometimes wonder if God wrapped a little angel in a teenage body.

You’ve asked big things of life, 
And you’ve asked them out loud.
Never afraid to sit with me and ask, “Why does it hurt?”
Or “What does love feel like, really?”
You don’t run from truth.
You seek it.
And that makes you a rare and beautiful man already.

Dorrian, you’ve shown me that parenting doesn’t stop at raising a child... 
It’s about learning from them too.
You’ve taught me what real friendship looks like: loyalty, laughter, and presence.
You don’t just do what you say, you are who you say you are.

You’ve made me feel seen,
you’ve made me laugh when I didn’t want to,
and you’ve jumped to my side more times than I can count.
You are my helper, my sounding board, my joy.
The one who walks into the room and makes everything feel a little lighter.

I’m so proud of the man you’re becoming; 
not because of any title you’ll carry,
or career you’ll choose,
but because of your character.
Because you lead with love.
Because you listen with your whole heart.
Because you already are the kind of man I used to pray would cross my path.

And baby, if I could see the world through your eyes every day, 
I think I’d love people better.
Laugh a little louder.
Hold on to hope a little tighter.

You are already enough.
You are already whole.
And whoever you choose to become,
I will always be proud, 
Because I already am.

With infinite love,
𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒀 Dontae (Nic): The One Who Grew Up With Me

Nic.
Named after my twin brother.
But somehow, you became so much more than a namesake... 
You became my beginning.
You were the one who made me a mother.
The one whose little heartbeat pulled me out of places I thought I’d never leave.

I had you when I was barely more than a child myself.
My mind was messy, my life unsure,
and if I’m honest, I had no idea what I was doing.
But God knew exactly what He was doing.
He gave me you.
A soft soul wrapped in strength, 
A quiet light in the middle of my chaos.

We grew up together, didn’t we?
Half of my life has been your life.
And not one day of it would I take back.
Not one moment.
Not one struggle.
Not even the seasons when I was just trying to survive.
Because in the middle of it all, you saw me.
Even when I was at my lowest, you kept that kindness in your eyes.
That gentle spirit.
That steady love.

You didn’t turn out like they expected.
You turned out better.
Not a statistic... 
but a story of strength.
Not broken,
but brilliantly built from scratch.

You’ve made me proud in ways I didn’t even know were possible.
You’ve taken life and built something out of it, 
Piece by piece, brick by brick.
You’ve moved out, paid your bills, made your music, chased your dreams,
and still, you call to ask me what I think.
You bring your friends to my table.
You tell me you’re proud of me.
Lord, what kind of blessing is that?

Nic, you have always been my mirror.
You’ve shown me my mistakes, yes,
but you’ve also shown me my growth.
You’ve given me grace when I couldn’t find it for myself.
You’ve loved me in ways I can’t explain, 
not just as your mother,
but as your friend.

You’re my reminder that redemption is real.
That love can grow even in hard soil.
That the past doesn’t define the future, character does.

I’ve watched you make your own mistakes,
and I’ve been honored to be the one you come back to.
You’ve let me be part of your becoming, 
and that alone has made every hard day worth it.

I love you through everything, 
Through your stumbles, your successes, your silence, your songs.
And as you keep building your life,
just know that you were the reason mine began.

You were my purpose before I even knew I needed one.

With every ounce of my love,
 𝑴𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒆

𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓼𝓸𝓷'𝓼; 𝑴𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆, 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔.. 

When you were little, I thought parenting might be easier than it turned out to be.
I mean, I was young, still fighting my own battles, and the world around me?
It was loud with judgment.
They didn’t understand why I kept going.
Why I kept choosing motherhood over giving up.
But I did.
Because deep down, I knew.
There was purpose behind every one of you.

Dontae. Dorrian. DaMiaN.
Each of you carries a lesson, a light, a legacy.
You’ve made me into a woman who can stand tall in her truth.
You’ve softened me, sharpened me, and made me more whole.
In teaching you, I’ve been taught.
In raising you, I’ve been raised.
And even though I was the one carrying you, 
you carried me, too.

The world is not always kind.
Especially to young Black boys trying to become men.
But you are not walking alone.
You walk with God.
And you walk with everything I’ve ever tried to pour into you; 
courage, compassion, curiosity, faith, strength, and softness.

I used to question whether I was doing it right.
Whether I was enough.
But now I understand:
God doesn’t make mistakes.
He gave you to me.
And gave me to you.
For a reason.

You don’t belong to me forever.
You belong to God.
But while I have you in my life; 
in my heart, in my prayers, in my memories,
I’ll do everything I can to love you well.

I want to keep teaching you; 
not just what I’ve learned from life,
but how I found peace through my relationship with God.
I want you to know why I warn you of certain roads,
and why I believe in your greatness so deeply.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes.
But if I got one thing right,
it’s you.

There is nothing I wouldn’t do for my sons.
Nothing.
You are my joy, my reason, my strength.
I’m so proud of the family we’ve become.
And I’m beyond excited for the men you’re still becoming.

Keep growing.
Keep questioning.
Keep praying.
Keep shining.

With all the love this heart can hold.
Your mom,

𝑵𝒊𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒆