#| sidekick

….Hey Jacky, hey Reece, today you turned one year old.

I honestly don’t know how that happened. It’s only been twelve months, yet somehow it feels as though my entire life has been rearranged within this single year. In my job, I’ve learned how to read maps, write operational plans, and prepare for just about every situation imaginable. But nothing could have prepared me for the two of you. Not for the sleepless nights, not for the wonderful chaos you bring into every room with remarkable consistency, and certainly not for the realization that two little boys can completely change a man. You are like two different sides of the same story. Sometimes I honestly believe you communicate without saying a single word. One glance is all it takes, and suddenly you’re both off together, as if you’ve already decided what adventure comes next. I watch you and often wonder which one of you is the mastermind. Most of the time, I come to the conclusion that you simply take turns.

You have enough energy to fill entire houses. There are days when I come home after a long shift convinced I’ve already experienced everything a person could possibly experience in one day. Then I open the front door and find the two of you getting into some kind of mischief that probably only twins could dream up. Every single time, I end up laughing — even though I’d promised myself I was going to be the strict one. You have this extraordinary gift of turning even the most serious mood into joy within seconds, simply by looking at me as though the world is the most beautiful place imaginable. But what impresses me most is something entirely different. Beneath all that wild energy is a kindness that leaves me speechless time and time again. You’re still so little, and yet you already seem to know when someone needs comfort. I’ve seen one of you immediately look for the other after he fell over. I’ve watched you cuddle up to your sisters or reach for your mum with your tiny hands, as though you instinctively understood that love can heal more than words ever could. That’s what makes me so incredibly proud of you. Not because you’re loud or fearless. Not because one day you’ll grow up to be strong men. But because I can already see that compassion lives inside you. The world needs strong people, but more than anything, it needs people who use their strength to lift others up. I hope with all my heart that you never lose that part of yourselves.

@xcrimescenedonotcrossx

This year, you’ve made your mum laugh more times than I could ever count. You’ve helped your sisters become the amazing big sisters I could only have wished for. And you’ve changed me, too. I’ve become more patient than I ever believed I could be. I now look forward to moments that, in another life, I probably would have overlooked—a family breakfast, tiny footsteps across the living room, or two messy little faces covered in food. Today, those moments mean more to me than any award I’ve ever received. Whenever I look at you, I’m reminded of how quickly time slips away. Just a year ago, you were barely longer than my forearm. Today, you crawl through the house with such determination, as though you already know exactly where your journey will take you. And I know that one day, that journey will lead you far from home. You’ll make your own decisions. You’ll make mistakes. You’ll get back up. And you’ll find your own place in this world. That doesn’t scare me. The only thing I hope is that you never forget where your roots are. Your mum and I won’t be able to remove every obstacle from your path. That wouldn’t be possible, and it wouldn’t be right. But you’ll never have to take a single step alone. No matter how old you are or where life leads you, you’ll always have a place to come home to. A place where you’ll be loved unconditionally and where the door will always be open. I hope that one day you’ll remember how often we laughed together, how many afternoons we spent outside, and how many times your mum and I simply looked at you because we couldn’t believe how much happiness two little boys could bring into one life.

….What‘s your favourite place?

I used to think places mattered. The truth is, they don’t — Not anymore. Because I don’t have a favourite place. I have favourite people. And wherever they are, that’s where I belong.

To my family — I’ve stood in places most people will never see. Mountains, deserts, war zones, cities on the other side of the world. I’ve watched sunsets over oceans and sunrises from helicopters thousands of feet above the ground. And yet none of those places ever stayed with me. You did. Home was never a house, never a city, never a country. It's a feeling.

It's Kate laughing at one of my terrible jokes while pretending she didn't find it funny. It's Dawn rolling her eyes at both of us because we're acting like children. It's Lily, Jack, and Reece filling a room with so much noise that silence suddenly feels wrong. It's our little girl kicking from inside her mother's belly as if she's already trying to join the conversation. It’s family movie nights. Messy breakfasts. Arguments that somehow end in laughter. It’s the sound of everyone being home.

That’s my favorite place — All of you.

Because I’ve learned something over the years: Home isn’t where you are. Home is who you can’t imagine living without. And every single one of you became my home a long time ago. So if anyone ever asks me where my favorite place is, my answer will always be the same:

Purest form of love.

Dawn, wow, where do I start? I am so incredibly proud of you! You do the job of big sister so incredibly well. Every time you look at Lilian, I see this indescribable love in your eyes. It is absolutely heartwarming how much you care for her when she cries. Seeing how much you want to be involved in everything is beyond my imagination. I was so worried that you would feel left behind, but you proved the opposite. I love you little moth!