Celebrating its 19th anniversary, Camp Fire’s Absolutely Incredible Kid Day honors our nation’s youth by asking adults to write, post, tweet, and tag (#AIKD) notes of encouragement and inspiration to the incredible kids in their lives. It is a simple, meaningful way to let youth know how much they are appreciated. Lives are changed by this simple act of love and kindness.

With this in mind, I decided to write a letter to my own absolutely incredible kid.

Ryan,

Did you know that:

• You motivate me to get out of bed at 5:30 AM, when its -10 below to go to LECOM, because you’re already up and ready to take off
• Your sweet exclamations of “You’re so pretty” make me smile on a day when I’ve had more challenges than I can count
• I’m proud as I watch how you always remember the importance of being polite and considerate, whether it’s holding a door open, saying ‘thank you’ for each small item, or always asking how I’m doing
• It brings me so much joy to see how much you enjoy exercising, skiing, swimming, and golfing
• I smile to myself when you repeat the same question numerous times because I know that’s how you deal with anxiety

I’d encourage you to take part in Camp Fire’s Absolutely Incredible Kid Day and take a moment to celebrate and recognize the amazing kids in your life. You can also follow Camp Fire on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to share the story of your #AIK with the world.