The best birthday gift

May 29, 2008 08:14 PM EDT

views: 47 | comments: 25

Last week was my birthday, nothing major, just a birthday. Usually they are less and less fun the older I get. Yesterday was nice.

Soon after my alarm went off at 6:30, my oldest son handed me a tightly wrapped gift. One of the first gifts he went out to buy on his own for me.It was precious he was so excited he could not wait to give it to me. He got me a large calgon set with bath oil, bath bombs & body oil. What woman with children does not like to let calgon take her away?

For dinner, I made shrimp scampi, one of my favorites. I felt like being semi lazy, so I asked my husband to pick up a birthday cake on the way home.

Our small family had a nice dinner, cake and I opened my presents. My husband got me a pair of fancy "movie star" sunglasses. I had been asking for a cheap pair, but he went all out with these. Also, a nice vanilla sugar perfume.

My youngest children got me a basket from Bath & Body Works. (Lavender & Vanilla) All very nice and nothing expected.

Then, this morning I checked my email and read a letter from my mother.

I have been crying ever since. First, a little family history...

My grandma McKee was a mother of five children, and a pro with babies.

My grandfather was a cowboy, he looked like Clark Gable, and was a man of few words

My grandma Bright was my great grandmother, born in England in 1899.

She was with us until 1995. I felt lucky to have grown up with lots of family nearby.

What better birthday present could I get than this letter.

Here it is below:

IT WAS 39 YEARS AGO TODAY AT 5:24 A.M. THE BIG EVENT OCCURRED!

YOU WERE 5 LBS. 9 OZ AND SO BEAUTIFUL. VERY DAINTY THE WAY

YOU MOVED YOUR HANDS TO YOUR LIPS AND EYES. YOU WERE THE

BIGGEST EVENT AT THE MCKEE HOUSE HOLD FOR MANY MANY YEARS.

I STARTED CALLING YOU "CHICKEN" B/C YOU WERE SOOOOO LIGHT.

YOUR DAD ADDED ON TO THAT AND YOU AS YOU KNOW YOUR

NIC-NAME BECAME "CHICKIE POOH".

THE WHOLE WORLD BEGAN REVOLVING AROUND YOU AT THE MCKEE HOUSEHOLD AND EVERYTHING YOU DID WAS A MIRACLE. YOU WERE THE MOST

REMARKABLE BABY EVER BORN, AND ACCORDING TO GRANDMA BRIGHT,

THE BRIGHTEST AND MOST INTELLIGENT CHILD THAT EVER LIVED.

GRANDMA MCKEE HAD TO SHOW ME EVERYTHING TO DO BECAUSE I KNEW

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT BABIES. I NEVER EVEN HELD A BABY

BEFORE. I WAS SO SCARED AND DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE

DONE IF IT WASN'T FOR ALL THE SUPPORT.

I REMEMBER I HAD A HARD TIME CONNECTING TO YOU BEING MY

DAUGHTER. WHEN I WATCHED GRANDMA MCKEE GIVING YOU YOUR FIRST BATH,

I FELT LIKE YOU WERE HER CHILD. BUT IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG TO FORM A

BOND THAT HAS NEVER BROKEN..

GRANDMA BRIGHT INSTANTLY LOVED YOU. THE FIRST MORNING

I BROUGHT YOU HOME I STUMBLED INTO THE KITCHEN

(YOU AWOKE EVERY THREE HOURS FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS

OF YOUR LIFE) AND GRANDMA BRIGHT RAN OVER AND HELD YOU AND FED YOU ONE OF YOUR FIRST BOTTLES. IN FACT YOU WERE HELD ALL DAY BY SOMEONE FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS.

FOR THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF YOUR LIFE. GMA BRIGHT WOULD

ROCK YOU AND SING "BEE-BOW-BY-BOW" AND AS YOU GOT OLDER

THE INFAMOUS "COCK ROBIN" AND THAT SONG STILL PLAYS IN MY HEAD TODAY.

I'VE EVEN FOUND MYSELF SIGNING IT TO MY DOGS, MY NEW

CHILDREN.

YOUR DAD, OF COURSE, LOVED TO HOLD YOU AND BECAME MUCH MORE

COMFORTABLE WITH YOU ONCE YOU STARTING WALKING AND TALKING.

I WISH HE COULD HAVE BEEN A BIGGER PART OF YOUR LIFE BUT HE COULD BE SUCH A PAIN SOMETIMES, AND SADLY HE DIED SO YOUNG.

ONE OF THE MOST PAINFUL AND HAPPIEST TIMES IN MY LIFE WAS WHEN

YOU WERE BORN AND YOU BECAME MY BEST FRIEND. NO MATTER WHAT

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU AND BE PROUD OF YOU.

XOXO