A Beautiful Part of Me: Honoring My Son’s 17th Birthday

Our son is turning 17 this week! We started the celebration with a family dinner last night, and from April 11–13, we’ll be at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2)—a tradition we’ve kept for three years now.

Back in June of last year, I had the privilege of publishing my first poem on Cindy’s blog, Unique Times. Today, I decided to re-publish my poem, A Beautiful Part of Me, in honor of my son’s birthday.

Somewhere in the Caribbean Sea – 2011
A beautiful part of me,
a response to a man’s prayer —
God heard, and that’s your name.

As I watch you grow,
I’m struck with wonder,
at your great heart and beautiful smile,
shining through for others to see.

I feel inadequate and unworthy at times,
Yet every day,
I thank God for the privilege of being your dad.

Fatherless myself and without love,
No role model or guide,
I struggle through life to become,
what I never have.

But all is well when I see you,
hold you close, and look into your eyes,
knowing that your love
is making me a better man.

You teach me lessons I never knew,
how to love and care for others.
You breathe new life into my heart,
And for that, I am profoundly grateful.

I can’t fathom how some fathers abandon their sons,
defenseless, without light to see.
Even in moments of short separation,
my heart aches for you.

Witnessing your growth, your journey to manhood,
I hope to live long enough to see you flourish on your own,
Crafting something remarkable and beautiful,
blessing others along the way.


Copyright © 2024 by Edward Ortiz
High School Dance – Fall 2024

104 thoughts on “A Beautiful Part of Me: Honoring My Son’s 17th Birthday”

  8. What a wonderful and heartfelt tribute to your son. Wishing him a fantastic 17th birthday and many more wonderful celebrations and Blessings ahead.

    By the way… Your son looks just like you… 🤗👍

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  11. I’m glad you shared your beautiful poem again, Edward. What a touching tribute to your son. I can feel the love in each line. And what a great photo of you two! Happy birthday to your son! 🎉

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  17. Happy 17th birthday to your son. Your poem, “A Beautiful Part of Me,” is a heartfelt tribute to him, expressing your love, gratitude and admiration. It’s beautiful to see how your son has positively impacted your life teaching you valuable lessons about love and care. Wishing you and your son a wonderful time!

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  18. A heartfelt poem! The love perspires throughout the lines! Here you touched something profound: “You breathe new life into my heart.” That’s the grand experience of parenthood! A happy birthday to your son and a special greeting to you and your wife, for this is your day as well! Enjoy your Chicago experience. Light and blessings to all 🙏✨🌈

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  24. What a beautiful poem, Edward. I totally relate to how our hearts ache when our kids aren’t around. My 25-year-old daughter lives on the other side of the country and I miss her a lot. I’m going out to visit her in a few weeks, though.

    Happy birthday to your son!

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  29. Awww Edward this was so sweet! I love the pictures of you guys. 😊 A beautiful poem, too. Happy birthday to your son and enjoy the comic expo! 🎊 🎉 ✨ 🙏 ☕️

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    1. Thank you so much, Laura. I’m sure we’re going to see Catwoman there, so a picture will definitely be in order—well, the Illinois version, of course, which doesn’t compare to the Florida one. 😀☕️☕️

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      1. Nice! Yessss definitely would love to see the Illinois version 😀 and pictures from the expo too!! And thank you for your kind words 🙏 🐈‍⬛ much appreciated ☕️ ☕️

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  32. I love this post Edward and a huge Happy 17th birthday to your son! I’m sure he had to just love your poem and is so happy to have you as his dad. What a wonderful tribute and this photograph of the 2 of you is just awesome! You look so much alike and both have such inviting eyes and smile that truly shine with the light. (thanks for the mention as it was such an honor to post your poem last year… it’s flown by)! Have the best time at the expo and can’t wait to see photos.. xo 💗

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    1. Thank you so much, my friend. I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since you posted my poem—just incredible how time flies. I’ll definitely post some photos.

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  33. Edward, everything about this post is beautiful, just beautiful. Your very moving poem, the wonderful picture of you and your son, and the love that pervades it all. You are both blessed to have each other. And, may I add, I feel blessed to know you through this blogging community. A very happy birthday to your son. (Our older 2 grandchildren are 16 and 19, so I have some idea of what your life is like these days!)

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    1. Thank you for this wonderful comment, Jane. You touched my heart. He is learning to drive now and will hopefully get his driver’s license this summer. You’ve been through this phase twice—first with your children and now with your grandchildren—so you definitely understand. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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  35. Edward, what can I say? In these beautiful words of yours there is a heart so big and powerful that its beat guides the rhythm in reading. Happy birthday to your son, and congratulations and congratulations to you, Father, a matter of enormous importance. ❤️🙏🏻

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      1. You’re welcome, Edward. I’m replying just to let you know I tried clicking on the “like” star, but it didn’t turn to orange. No need for you to respond. It’s a problem I seem to be having on lots of other people’s blog lately.

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