It’s time for what is becoming the annual birthday post. Twenty-nine years ago this evening, I met my younger daughter, Meghan Lee, for the first time. Weighing in at just six pounds, she showed early signs of being her own person, struggling to be released from the hospital swaddling that her sister, a year earlier, had found so comforting. An early reader determined to keep up with her sister, she began calling me Mother, likely based on something she read in a book; not mom and not just to my face, but in reference to me as well. It was very noticeable coming from this little person, so formal – Mother. She still does, today, but I’m used to it and no longer feel like Joan Crawford. That’s Meghan Lee, no nicknames, please. Being her mother, one might accuse me of bias, but I am so very proud of the woman she has become. I am blessed to be close to her, not in proximity, but in mind and heart, the places that really count. I have watched her grow over the years, overcoming challenges and learning to soar like an eagle!!
This past year was one of continued growth in grace and beauty for Meghan Lee, who, in 2011, began a tradition of wearing a tiara on her birthday, even on the bike; this year she intends to wear a tiara on the beach where she will enjoy a warm day “with toes in the sand.” The 2012 birthday post talked about a major life event, marriage to R. Brian Smith, known to me as FSIL. They continue to grow closer and are, as I describe it, incredibly well matched. They have embarked on fitness challenges like the Tough Mudder , completing it twice, and DIY home renovations. Together they are into weight training and running. Another new venture is gardening, with which I’m thrilled. I always told her it’s in the Buelow genes; we love to “play in the dirt.” For years she denied it because of spiders – my fault for making my daughters pick too many beans as children, or so they said. In typical fashion, Meghan did the research and came up with a plan for raised beds, which she and Brian built together. More research led to plans for squirrel-proofing those beds, which she designed, they built, and now their gardens are safe from critters.
My younger daughter turns 29 today and I couldn’t be more pleased to claim her though I’m learning to share her with Brian. She is intelligent, kind, loving, and generally an exceptional human being, grown now, with a family of her own – Brian and three cats. Ride on Tiara Girl…
I’m thanking the Lord for putting her in my arms and into my care – a gift to me beyond compare. Joyeux anniversaire, Meghan Lee, je t’aime en bric, broc, our French slang for “I love you to pieces.” Literal translation is I love you to bits and chunks, which makes us giggle. Enjoy the photo – Meghan’s choice – and join me in wishing a most wonderful new year of life to Meghan Lee Smith!
Be blessed, my darlin’ daughter!!
(photo courtesy of Autumn Craig)