Saturday, February 19, 2011

Happy 18th Birthday, Chanel, the best is yet to come!


 It was a cold rainy night on the 21st of February, eighteen years ago,when our lives changed forever. Our first grandchild, Chanel, was born.
How do you fall in love, instantly?  This beautiful, little miracle was placed in my arms, swaddled in pink. I felt that overwhelming feeling of being deeply in love.It was astonishing and it took me by surprise. I remember feeling that way with the birth of each of my five children. I didn't expect it to happen again. But here I was, holding a precious life in my arms and never wanting to let go.



Holidays, birthdays, trips, parties, memories, all flood my consciousness today. So many times spent enjoying her, watching her grow, delighting in all her accomplishments. Her first words, her first steps, her first giggle, her first bike ride, her first movie, her first love, her first car, all the firsts, too numerous to list.  Everything about her filled us with such love and joy.

It has never changed over these past 18 years. there has been so much happiness. The joy of her every discovery. Holding her close when the world was not as kind. I would never change one moment spent loving her or worrying about her or the tears shed in joy or in sadness for her. Chanel is unique. She's beautiful, bright, outspoken, fiercely loyal, talented, smart, dedicated to knowledge, worldly at one moment and child-like the next. Her laughter is infectious, her tears overwhelming.

She has taught me so much. I have learned to look so much deeper into each individuals soul, to really  listen to what they say and what matters to them. She inspires me to be the best I can be. Now she is on the threshold of adulthood. Larger "firsts"  await her now. Her graduation from High School in the Spring, her admission into college soon.,life beyond the protective borders of home.


 



 

I have to let go once again, to trust that what we have taught her all these years will keep her safe, to trust that she will make her way with confidence and grace. She is a young woman now and ready to take the steps toward her future path. She goes equipped with an iron cloak of love and support from her family. She goes with the fortitude built from all the years of memories we have shared together.

Happy Birthday, Chanel



You are the Queen of our hearts!

 


























2 comments:

Alfonso Cevola said...

Auguri, buon compleanno, principessa!

Judy Hartman said...

What a beautiful young woman, and such a loving tribute to her!