When I was 35, my then husband and I
decided we wanted another child. We were very nervous about the decision
because our previous child had been born with Down syndrome and clubbed feet,
so we were afraid that our next child wouldn’t be healthy. However, we decided to go
ahead.
The very healthy baby we were blessed
with was a girl. Oh, what a change from having those two previous boys! Now I
had someone to dress up, play with, and do things I knew how to do. I planned
that we would have fun doing all those “girlie” things. I sewed her many
outfits and I even learned to smock so I could make her those precious dresses.
She was a doll with bright blue eyes and a quick smile. I knew she had so much
promise and prayed that I would be able to guide her in the right direction.
Her dad sometimes would say about the way I was parenting Kelsey: “You are just raising another Pam.” Maybe I was a bit egotistical, but I
thought that wasn’t such a bad thing to do. I was educated, caring, faithful, a
hard worker, etc. I know I have many faults, but having another educated,
caring, faithful and hard-working woman in the world didn’t seem to be such a
bad thing to me.
All of that happened 21 years ago.
During those 21 years, I have watched this person go from a little girl who
could capture your heart with her smile to a young lady who can do the same.
She is caring toward others and faithful to her Lord. She shows this often in
her work with young people, with people with disabilities, and with her
volunteering with her church and with Young Life. Kelsey’s dedication to her
studies is about to pay off on May 2 when she graduates cum laude from the University of Florida with a BHS in
Communication Sciences and Disorders. I couldn’t be more proud of her for
everything she has accomplished.
Recently, she has made me the proudest
when I watch her make the drive from Gainesville to Tallahassee to
help her family. With her stepdad’s recent illness and
hospitalizations, she has taken it upon herself to give up her last spring break
and many other fun events during her last semester of college to come home
almost every week to help.
I don’t know where Kelsey will go
after she graduates. Neither does she, but I know that she will figure it out
and go where she is supposed to go. Her path is set to continue being kind,
caring, helpful, and faithful.
And her dad’s prediction didn’t come
true. I didn’t raise another Pam; I raised a much better person – Kelsey.
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