Daughter

Day 5 of thanksgiving moments begins with daughter #2.  Many years ago, after three rowdy little boys, my husband and I began talking about a situation going on in our minds and hearts.  There were and are, so many kids out there that don't have much of a chance.  Many don't have a mom or a dad, or maybe don't have either, and it began to bear on our minds.

There was such a young girl at our church.  She was a girl that came to church on one of the buses and was very faithful in her attendance.  So we began to take an interest in her, until finally we asked her if she would like to come and live with us.  From that moment on, she was ours.

She came to live with us when she was fifteen years old, had some health issues, and had many emotional needs, but she was ours.  Yep, we picked her and she picked us, so that was the beginning of our relationship.

I'm sorry I don't have any childhood memories to speak of or any childhood pictures, but we began making memories together as soon as she appeared on our doorstep. 

As I said, she was fifteen, so we immediately inherited teenage hormones and attitude and she inherited three spunky brothers.  So, to say the least, we all had to go through some adjustments. 

I had so much fun buying party dresses, fixing hair, putting on makeup and getting ready for dates.  She had never experienced it and neither had I, so we were learning together.  We went through weird hairdos, awkward boy moments, and braces.

As a young child, her lower jaw didn't grow as it should and we had to have some surgery done for that.  It was such a horrible time and I felt so sorry for her.  The doctors had to saw her lower jaw into, pull it forward and stabilize it with screws, then they had to wire her mouth shut for six, very long weeks.  They left a small place to put a straw in that she could drink through for those six weeks.  But, afterwards, when the wires were removed and she had worn braces for two, painful years, she had the biggest, most beautiful smile!  Oh, my, what a difference!    I know it was one of the roughest things to go through as a teenager, but it was so worth it.

Now, not only did she have this thick, long mane of shiny chestnut colored hair, she had a beautiful smile.  It didn't take long for a young man to take notice.

She met him, fell in love, and began planning a wedding.  She's just a tiny, little thing, so when she walked down the aisle with a dress on that was just ruffles from the waist down, she looked like a mix of something from Gone With The Wind and a Barbie princess doll.

We know how to push each other's buttons, my daughter and me, (as do most mothers and daughters) and we know when to put it all aside and come together. 

She has given us two beautiful grandchildren; a little girl, and a little boy that suffers from autism. I've watched her struggle, battle, fight for help, cry, and sometimes feel hopeless, but one thing I have not seen from her is quitting.  When most people give up when simple problems come along, she keeps going.  When most people face situations that are minor, she climbs obstacles that seem insurmountable.
Our daughter is a fighter.  Our daughter refuses to quit.  Our daughter is quite a gal.

I hope that she always knows that she is our family, she is part of us, she is ours and we love her.