Happy Birthday Mary Beth!

There are moments I remember as clearly as if they were yesterday. I remember Dr. John, doppler in hand, grinning as if he were going to burst. "You've got a butterfly this time, young lady. No doubt about it; it's a little girl." And I remember going home with that sonogram picture and waiting endlessly for Daddy to come home so I could show him. He looked and he looked, while your brothers waited expectantly. 

"It's a friend for Mommy." His words caught me by surprise. Of course that baby wasn't a friend; it was my daughter. My first daughter. For a long time, my only daughter. In our house, we were parents and they were children. I didn't really think of it as "friends." But my oldest was only 7. And he was a boy.

Daddy's words--as they almost always are--were prophetic. You are, most definitely, my friend. Certainly, I'm the mom and you're the girlie. But you are also the dearest friend I have.

Quiet and shy; thoughtful and introspective, you are not a chatterbox, much unlike your sisters. Ever since your first word, they have come quietly and measured. My heart leapt at those first words. I couldn't wait to hear what was on your mind. And my heart still skips a beat now when you invite me into your thoughts.

You are goodness and you are joy. Sweet girl in the middle of five brothers, you are the whole world to your little sisters. It is my dearest hope that they grow up to follow in your very graceful, very grace-filled footsteps. 

And you are the finest friend a girl could ever hope to have. You give your whole heart and you are ever faithful, even when the going is as hard as it gets. 

Daddy said I'd have a friend. With every year, you grow lovelier. With every year you become more and more the finest friend a mother could ever hope to love. 

Happy birthday, my dear child. I hope this year returns to you all the beauty you bring to us.

{top photo credit: Lori Fowlkes. All the rest are snagged from Mary Beth's facebook page.}