To My Third-Born, My Daughter

Written in 2003, on the occasion of your second birthday

My fruit, my offspring, my re-creation,
You fill my heart with joy each time I look into your pudgy face.
You make me so glad God gave me one more child.
I love your sparkling blue eyes, sandy brown curls, and dimpled hands;
(They remind me so much of myself.)
I love all your little imperfections:
your cracked front tooth,
your rash-reddened skin,
and your feet that turn in just a little;
I love to hear you say “I loo-loo” to Daddy when he leaves for work in the morning,
I love to watch you wave and say “Bye-bye” to everyone we meet in the nursing home,
I love to hear you say “Gee-zah, again” each time I finish singing “Jesus Loves Me.”
I fear your temper and the tantrums that go along with it;
(They remind me so much of myself.)
You are my youth reincarnated, and yet you are your own person.
Your favorite phrase is “Book to read?”
Keep it up, my child. Your love of books will take you far.
Your favorite color is pink,
Your favorite food is green beans,
Your favorite pastime is trying on other people’s shoes,
Your favorite person is Daddy.
I love you—not because you bear my image, not because you’re my girl—
I love you, my dear, because you’re you,
And I wouldn’t have you any other way.

♥ ♥ ♥

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to my special Valentine… my one and only daughter, Mary B! It has been a joy to watch you grow into the godly young woman that you are. Looking over this description of you, I see that many things have changed… and some things never will, for which I’m glad!

I look forward to seeing what surprises the next year holds for you. As you need Dad and me less, I pray you will cling to Christ the more. I love you, dear, with all my heart.

“Rocking Chair” taken in Chesapeake, Virginia, January 2003
“Picnic under the Trampoline” taken in Chesapeake, Virginia, June 2009
“Braces Off At Last” taken in Pensacola, Florida, January 2018