My Greatest Accomplishment!
Today, August 25, is dedicated to my Katherine Elizabeth, (Katie!)
as she celebrates her 33rd birthday! I remember so well (as many of
you do) the birth of my first, and what would be my only, child. The
anticipation and excitement were overwhelming, but when I first looked into her
eyes, something changed.
I was no longer just a daughter, sister, wife and friend, I
was a mother. Some of you may know, that I was a little late to the game (I was
30 when I had Katie) and to be honest, I wasn’t sure I was ready or if I could
be devoted like I had seen so many of my friends do. At that moment, 8:06pm on
August 25, 1988, I knew I could do it. At 6 lbs. 9 oz. she was mighty and she had
our hearts. She was totally dependent on us and we could not let her down.
As she took on her personality through her newborn to
toddler days, I knew she was going to be an amazing person and I couldn’t wait
to watch it all unfold. To be honest, I think I could count on one hand (maybe
two), the times that Katie let us down or disappointed us. I remember a time
when she was in third or fourth grade and she swallowed a toy ring, you know,
the kind that is cheap…VERY cheap and adjustable. I was called to the school
and she lied about it just slipping off her finger while she had her finger in
her mouth…there was a happy ending, but she had to admit that she put it in her
mouth and freaked out. Maybe it was the time she had sneaked into chat rooms when
we got our first computer, again, no real harm done, just worried about her safety…ugh!
Or maybe it was the time when she was with a group of friends and going to the All
Saints Festival (in 8th grade) and she ended up a in downtown
Montgomery…a few blocks away, without a call to her parents. “Can you pick me
up at Starbucks?” she asked. WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE YOU??? I’m laughing as I
type these incidents because how lucky were we that these were our “disappointments?”
Katie thrived in high school and college. She met great people
and friends that are still with her today. Then came Anthony, our wonderful
son-in-law, and all of a sudden, Katie was talking to her husband before us
about most things. It hurt a little (actually a lot!) but it was the way it was
supposed to be. When they got married, (after meeting on Craig’s List), the
room was aglow with the people who loved them the most and it was a night to
remember!
Her career as an actor and teaching artist, included many concerts,
shows, including the role of a dinosaur. She has been “performing” for as long
as she has been alive! You could say “the world is her stage!” (similar
quote coined by Shakespeare!)
Perhaps the most exceptional version of my Katie has been
her role as a mom. To see your child become a parent is a feeling I had not
experienced. When she looked into her first-born baby’s face, I know she felt
that very same feeling that I had felt so many years ago. Soon, she will have
that feeling again as her second baby is scheduled to arrive in early October.
Katie has been a wonderful daughter, a loving wife and a
terrific momma. I know that I am a better person because of Katie and the world
is a better place with her in it!
I saw Katie at her strongest when her Dad and I got
divorced. As an only child, it was especially heartbreaking. She said she
always thought our family was different from the rest…extra special. Sadly, we
had to experience this grief together. Through it all, she was able to support
both of us in her way, but I know she was fighting her own sadness while
tending to her mom’s broken heart. Somehow, she found the words to always let
me know we were going to be okay. She was right.
I say it every year, and I mean it with more love each year…Katie
is by far, my greatest accomplishment!
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