At seven-o-four this evening, my oldest child will be another year older. This year, she gifted and blessed me with my first grandchild.
It is amazing how sharply Alex's delivery and first few weeks of life have brought back the memories and emotions of my having Amanda.
It is amazing how deeply, how fiercely, how tenderly you can love a small squirming mass.
It is equally amazing that that love continues to grow over a lifetime.
All... just amazing...
This was on Amanda's twentieth birthday. My college girl. She has always made me so proud. She is bright, articulate, responsible, kind, resilient and strong. She stands up for what she believes in. She loves her friends and family deeply. She is a shining star at her work. She is a devoted wife. She makes her house a home... warm and inviting.
As proud of her as I am for all those qualities, never have I been more proud than by the mother she is being to Alex. And, I know that after this year, she will celebrate his birthday with the same grateful heart that I celebrate hers.
A child is the greatest blessing God could ever give us. Experiencing that, I know He loves me and mine even more fiercely than I can imagine. Thank you, Father.
I am a very staunch believer that parents are not here to be their children's best friends... they are here to do the, sometimes, dirty work of being the parent. But, there comes a time, once they have taken their own wings, when children can become your friend. Amanda is, in addition to being my precious child, my dearest friend. I have a few really, really good friends that I could count on for anything. Amanda does, too. We are blessed by that. What I know in my heart is, that if push ever came to shove in life's storms, she would be the last man (woman) standing by my side... and, I would for her.
Happy, Happy Birthday, Amanda! I love you dearly!
6 comments:
I can't wait to celebrate her birthday with you guys!
No words. But many tears. Thank you for this post. It is one of the best gifts I've ever received. I love you. No words great enough to describe it.
Happy Birthday Amanda....I'm with you....tears.
Your Mom said it all so well! I wish I could put my feelings into words, that is such a gift!
Love the pictures of you two, they are so good!
What a beautiful post. You are both so lucky to have such a special relationship, the perfect combination of parent/child and friend. I can't wait to see you and celebrate Amanda's birthday this weekend!
Wow Tanna! That really is an awesome post! You two are extremely blessed to have each other and to have so much, parent, child, best friend! We will miss seeing you this weekend, I know you will have a blast! Enjoy your time with the sweet, little munchkin, oh and Amanda too! :)
With God's love and yours she is that wonderful daughter. Your post is a wonderful birthday present to her - I'm sure! Happy Birthday Amanda :)
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