Dear Caleb,

Seventeen is one of those numbers that just sounds and feels VERY old! It seems lightyears away from the simplicity of your childhood days and way too close to the reality that adulthood is just around the corner. We know that in your eyes, you've been ready to be an adult for awhile, but that's an awfully hard concept for parents to accept. Thankfully, this past year has shown an incredible amount of growth and we are more at ease with the idea of setting your off on your own in a little over a year.

A year ago at this time, we were just beginning to scratch the surface of an unexpected diagnosis that gave us a lot of answers to help explain the rough patch we experienced during your later junior high/early high school years. ADHD is definitely a complex and confusing disability. Seeing you walk through such a tough time was one of the hardest things we've endured as parents, but we'd do it over and over again to be able to show you our steadfast love and commitment. We hope and pray that you'll look back on those years and forget the many moments of frustration and, instead, see that we stuck with you through thick and thin because we knew there was a light on the other side of all that darkness. Seeing that light reappear in your life this year has been the most reassuring feeling. Obviously, we are thankful for the way in which it eased the tensions between us, but more than that, we are just happy to see the side of you that we all know and love come back to the surface. You truly are a delightful person and when the best of you is on display, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't absolutely love to be around you.

You have an incredible sense of humor and bring joy and laughter to all that you do. Some of our favorite moments are those in which you share a funny story or do something goofy and we all just about die with laughter. You still have a smile that goes from ear to ear like when you were a baby. Your smile and laughter is contagious and you light up a room when you're in it.

You never take life too seriously and do a fantastic job of making sure that you live each and every day to it's fullest potential. Though it can be exhausting from a parent standpoint, it is also so great to know that you don't waste your days. This past year, you've continued to take a full load of accelerated classes, played three sports, stuck with band, participated in a couple activities beyond sports, stayed active in youth group, and kept up with your social life! We are constantly in awe of your ability to balance it all. It's not enough for you to just show up to these things...you are all in with all of it. You almost always give 100% to each and every single thing you do. You show great leadership skills and dedication. In fact, your wrestling coaches awarded you the 3D award this year for your dedication, determination, and discipline. Those words describe you quite well and are traits that will serve you so well as you continue to grow. Your ability to jump into things with your whole heart and mind is certainly one of your best qualities. It doesn't take much to convince you to try something new, take a risk, or live in the moment. You bring the carefreeness to our family and your friends and are always up for an adventure.

If you aren't going full speed, you'll usually be found relaxing on a couch watching sports, playing the xbox, or catching up on a show. You are also notorious for spending excessive amounts of money on your card collections, so it's a good thing you landed a job as an umpire last summer! You are a great brother to your siblings. You have a reverence for Nyla and use her as a guide for the future. In that same way, you live out that role for your younger siblings. You've done an amazing job of helping Leah get acclimated to high school. When she was terribly lost after several hours on the walk through day, you took her back up to school and patiently worked with her until she had her schedule down. When she was on the verge of quitting band, you were willing to become her personal tutor when she switched to the band advisory that you were already enrolled in. And, as always, your brotherly bond with Joel just gets stronger with each year. You two are quite different, but have such an indescribable connection. He admires you and you humble yourself enough to recognize that he can teach you a few things now and then! Our family is certainly lucky to have you and wouldn't be the same without you. You are our easiest travel companion and go with the flow on vacation better than any of the other people in our crew. You remind us all to "just chill" and take life one day at a time. You keep us busy and give us plenty to cheer for with your sports schedule. Football was a blast this year despite the heartbreaking end just one game away from the state finals. Wrestling was awesome to watch because you've grown and improved so much. And now you're onto a whole new sport - water polo - and, somehow, it seems like you were just born to play it!

We truly cannot imagine life without you. You are unique is so many ways and it would take a million years to describe the depths of it all. Watching you grow into the (almost) adult that you are has been an adventure and a gift. From our easygoing baby/toddler to a happy-go-lucky kid to a strong willed teen, we wouldn't trade you for the world. You have an incredibly bright future and we are eager to continuing watching it unfold. Between your tender heart, unmatched intelligence, and one of the strongest wills we know, it is obvious that God has big plans for you. We pray that you continue to stay close to Him and allow Him to guide you. It's going to be an adventure no matter what, but that won't phase you one bit because life through the eyes of Caleb Sturm is just one.big.adventure!

Love,

Dad and Mom