Marigold

Today is Marigold's birthday. My daughter doesn't like me posting pictures of the Munchkins or talking about them on my blog, and I respect that -- this is the Internet. But without being too specific, I wanted to do a little post about Marigold, so if my daughter reads this, I hope she doesn't mind.

Marigold is a character. If I were to choose one word to describe her, it would be "spritely". She reminds me of a sprite. She loves to climb the tree in her back yard and sit up there, and she loves to create little pieces of art out of "found things" in the garden. She has definitely inherited the art gene, but she is also very athletic. She has a little interior motor that keeps her moving all the time. She never walks along the sidewalk, she skips or dances.

For the first few years of her life, Marigold rushed to keep up with her brother, who can tend to "take over the room" at times. I think Marigold felt she was in his shadow, but not anymore. She has found her own stride. She's very bright with a sense of humor more subtle than her brother's, but razor sharp.

Marigold has been blessed with beautiful hands and long slender fingers, like her mother and her great-grandmother. (It skipped my generation...) I have a plaster cast of her hand on my desk, and I often look at her hands and think what wonderful things they are going to do throughout her lifetime.

I remember once, a few years ago, Marigold stayed with me overnight. It was just the two of us, and when I was walking her back home the next morning, she said to me as she was skipping along the sidewalk, "Oma, I love you, and even when you're up in Heaven, I will still love you." Omigosh. That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. And believe me, when I'm up in Heaven, I will still love Marigold too. But let's wait a while for that yet...

Happy Birthday, Marigold!