December 11, 2025 • 7 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, when Jeff Katz wrote a birthday note to his daughter Julia, he was marking a moment she would not recognize. Julia lives with global developmental delays, and her days move with a rhythm that has stayed the same for years. Still, the note gave Jeff a place to set down what life with her has looked like, from the small routines she loves to the concerns he quietly carries. As he reads it aloud, he reflects on how raising Julia has shaped him in ways he never expected.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
This is Lee Habib, and this is our American Stories.
And today we hear from Jeff Katz. He's a radio
host in Richmond, Virginia, and he's also a columnist for
the Boston Herald, and here he shares his deeply personal
story about his daughter, Julia, who has what doctors call
(00:52):
global developmental delays and disabilities. And all of that means
is that she functions physically and mentally at the level
of a toddler. Here's Jeff reading a note that he
wrote to his daughter.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Dear Julia, I'm writing you this note on March seventh,
twenty eighteen. Today is the day that you turn fifteen
years old. It's an interesting day for me and for Mom,
but it's another day for you. You're not like other kids,
my sweep. You've never made a big deal of your birthday.
(01:34):
You've never asked us for any type of a special gift,
not for your birthday, not for Hanukkah, not for Christmas.
You've treated each and every day in the same way.
Mom will wake you up and you'll have a smile
on your face when you see her. She'll play some
of your music and you'll smile even more. You may
(01:54):
laugh or giggle or squeal, but there will not be
any words. You won't complain about it having to go
to school. You won't be happy to hear that it
is a snow day. You won't celebrate the fact that
today is fifteen years since you were born. Most fifteen
year old girls would be thinking about clothing, college or
(02:15):
a car by fifteen. Many dads have already who had
to warn their daughters about some dopey boy. But today
you'll watch your favorite episode of Jack's Big Music Show,
enjoy your cereal, and be on the lookout for cookies
wherever you can find them. Mom and I know that
you will be with us as long as we're alive,
(02:35):
but we worry about what happens after we're gone. You
have two wonderful brothers, and I pray every day that
we have raised them well enough to know that they
will need to look after you. Someday you may be
our middle child, but you'll always be the baby, even
as you get older according to the calendar. As Mom
told me yesterday, you are timeless. You'll always be my pipsqueak,
(03:01):
despite the fact that the years are flying by. No,
we're not exploring potential careers or making plans for your wedding.
We're still hoping that we'll be able to help you
move from diapers to the potty someday. You live today
the same way you did when you were about eighteen
months old. You don't speak, and you only recognize a
(03:22):
few words, But oh the words that you know, kisses
and cookies. No matter how filled up you are, there's
always room for a cookie or two. You don't understand
when I ask you how your day was, but you
become laser beam focused when you hear the crinkle of
the wrapper on a package of something sweet. No matter
how sweet that candy, it's still eclipsed by your genuinely
(03:45):
sweet smile. So many people live their lives asking for things,
demanding things, accumulating things. Most people never take the time
to stop and savor a piece of cake, or breathe
deeply to appreciate a gentle breeze like you do. I
hear people in this world use horrible, insulting language to
(04:07):
describe kids like you, and I want to shake them
and yell at them. Some mock disabled kiddos like you,
and I feel like crying. You don't understand their words,
but I do. Sometimes I really wish I did not.
We never thought you would crawl, let alone walk, but
you showed us. Your situation and challenges and disabilities have
(04:29):
caused me to question my belief in God on some
days and have served to strengthen it on others. You
don't speak, but somehow you are able to brighten my
days in ways that I never imagined. Without a single
solitary word, You've made me a better man and touched
countless people. Hearing you cry ties my stomach into knots.
(04:50):
But your giggle is truly the happiest sound that I
have ever heard. I know you'll never read this, nor
would you understand this if I were to read it
to you you, so let me just say kisses and cookies,
Jules Beegles. I tell you today what I have told
you on every March the seventh since two thousand and three.
(05:11):
Daddy loves you more than you will ever.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Know, and thank you for that reading. Jeff, You've made
me a better man, he wrote, your giggle is the
happiest sound I've ever heard, and Julia is unexpectedly learning
how to walk. Jeff told the Boston Herald that quote.
It was one of the proudest days of my life,
one of the happiest days of my life. But I
(05:36):
also have to tell you it's a terrifying situation because
Julia is like a toddler. She has no real understanding of, oh,
the stove is hot, or I could fall here, or a
trip there. We're thrilled that she's trying to explore on
her own a little bit, and we're terrified at the
same time. And this is true for all of us parents,
(05:58):
but even more so for Jeff and his bride. Jeff
is said that it's tough to realize that he'll never
get to embarrass Julia by dancing with her at her wedding.
But quote, she's the best thing that's ever happened to me.
End quote. Last, but not least, he said these words. Quote.
(06:21):
She's never spoken a word, He's never said a word
to anybody, but she's touched more people in her fifteen
years on this earth than I ever have. Her joy
is pure to me. He's like the face of God,
He's the essence of good, and she shares her joy
(06:42):
with everybody. Jeff Katz's story his daughter Julia is here
on our American Stories plead habibe here, and I'd like
(07:32):
to encourage you to subscribe to Our American Stories on
Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get our podcasts.
Any story you missed or want to hear again can
be found there daily again, Please subscribe to the Our
American Stories podcast anywhere you get your podcasts. It helps
(07:53):
us keep these great American stories coming
This is Lee Habib, and this is our American Stories.
And today we hear from Jeff Katz. He's a radio
host in Richmond, Virginia, and he's also a columnist for
the Boston Herald, and here he shares his deeply personal
story about his daughter, Julia, who has what doctors call
(00:52):
global developmental delays and disabilities. And all of that means
is that she functions physically and mentally at the level
of a toddler. Here's Jeff reading a note that he
wrote to his daughter.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Dear Julia, I'm writing you this note on March seventh,
twenty eighteen. Today is the day that you turn fifteen
years old. It's an interesting day for me and for Mom,
but it's another day for you. You're not like other kids,
my sweep. You've never made a big deal of your birthday.
(01:34):
You've never asked us for any type of a special gift,
not for your birthday, not for Hanukkah, not for Christmas.
You've treated each and every day in the same way.
Mom will wake you up and you'll have a smile
on your face when you see her. She'll play some
of your music and you'll smile even more. You may
(01:54):
laugh or giggle or squeal, but there will not be
any words. You won't complain about it having to go
to school. You won't be happy to hear that it
is a snow day. You won't celebrate the fact that
today is fifteen years since you were born. Most fifteen
year old girls would be thinking about clothing, college or
(02:15):
a car by fifteen. Many dads have already who had
to warn their daughters about some dopey boy. But today
you'll watch your favorite episode of Jack's Big Music Show,
enjoy your cereal, and be on the lookout for cookies
wherever you can find them. Mom and I know that
you will be with us as long as we're alive,
(02:35):
but we worry about what happens after we're gone. You
have two wonderful brothers, and I pray every day that
we have raised them well enough to know that they
will need to look after you. Someday you may be
our middle child, but you'll always be the baby, even
as you get older according to the calendar. As Mom
told me yesterday, you are timeless. You'll always be my pipsqueak,
(03:01):
despite the fact that the years are flying by. No,
we're not exploring potential careers or making plans for your wedding.
We're still hoping that we'll be able to help you
move from diapers to the potty someday. You live today
the same way you did when you were about eighteen
months old. You don't speak, and you only recognize a
(03:22):
few words, But oh the words that you know, kisses
and cookies. No matter how filled up you are, there's
always room for a cookie or two. You don't understand
when I ask you how your day was, but you
become laser beam focused when you hear the crinkle of
the wrapper on a package of something sweet. No matter
how sweet that candy, it's still eclipsed by your genuinely
(03:45):
sweet smile. So many people live their lives asking for things,
demanding things, accumulating things. Most people never take the time
to stop and savor a piece of cake, or breathe
deeply to appreciate a gentle breeze like you do. I
hear people in this world use horrible, insulting language to
(04:07):
describe kids like you, and I want to shake them
and yell at them. Some mock disabled kiddos like you,
and I feel like crying. You don't understand their words,
but I do. Sometimes I really wish I did not.
We never thought you would crawl, let alone walk, but
you showed us. Your situation and challenges and disabilities have
(04:29):
caused me to question my belief in God on some
days and have served to strengthen it on others. You
don't speak, but somehow you are able to brighten my
days in ways that I never imagined. Without a single
solitary word, You've made me a better man and touched
countless people. Hearing you cry ties my stomach into knots.
(04:50):
But your giggle is truly the happiest sound that I
have ever heard. I know you'll never read this, nor
would you understand this if I were to read it
to you you, so let me just say kisses and cookies,
Jules Beegles. I tell you today what I have told
you on every March the seventh since two thousand and three.
(05:11):
Daddy loves you more than you will ever.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Know, and thank you for that reading. Jeff, You've made
me a better man, he wrote, your giggle is the
happiest sound I've ever heard, and Julia is unexpectedly learning
how to walk. Jeff told the Boston Herald that quote.
It was one of the proudest days of my life,
one of the happiest days of my life. But I
(05:36):
also have to tell you it's a terrifying situation because
Julia is like a toddler. She has no real understanding of, oh,
the stove is hot, or I could fall here, or a
trip there. We're thrilled that she's trying to explore on
her own a little bit, and we're terrified at the
same time. And this is true for all of us parents,
(05:58):
but even more so for Jeff and his bride. Jeff
is said that it's tough to realize that he'll never
get to embarrass Julia by dancing with her at her wedding.
But quote, she's the best thing that's ever happened to me.
End quote. Last, but not least, he said these words. Quote.
(06:21):
She's never spoken a word, He's never said a word
to anybody, but she's touched more people in her fifteen
years on this earth than I ever have. Her joy
is pure to me. He's like the face of God,
He's the essence of good, and she shares her joy
(06:42):
with everybody. Jeff Katz's story his daughter Julia is here
on our American Stories plead habibe here, and I'd like
(07:32):
to encourage you to subscribe to Our American Stories on
Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get our podcasts.
Any story you missed or want to hear again can
be found there daily again, Please subscribe to the Our
American Stories podcast anywhere you get your podcasts. It helps
(07:53):
us keep these great American stories coming
Host
Lee Habeeb
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