Marigold...

Today is Marigold's 12th birthday. Twelve...! My goodness, how did that happen? I remember when she was born, on April 4th, Easter Sunday morning, and now here she is on the cusp of being a teenager.  I wish I could post a picture of her, because she is so beautiful, but we have an agreement not to post pictures of Phinnaeus or Marigold on the Internet.  So I will tell you about her instead.

Marigold is exquisitely beautiful, fine-boned and delicately featured, with a gorgeous smile.  But don't let that fool you -- she is a straight A student, with a talent for mathematics, and she is extremely athletic in soccer, swimming and track and field.  An inclination towards mathematics and athletics are two things which I cannot lay claim to, so that particular DNA did not come from me, unfortunately.  She is also a very good pianist and takes lessons every week.

I love spending time with Marigold, just the two of us, which is something we don't get to do very often.  When we do spend time together, we have lovely conversations, and I am always amazed at her insight on life in general.  Nothing gets past her.  She has a quiet nature in many ways, but she is also the type of person who sees "the glass half full", rather than "half empty".  That, I think, she might get from me -- optimism in the face of adversity.  She can tend to be quite philosophical about things, and in that way she reminds me of my mother.  She also inherited my mother's dark, straight hair, while the rest of us have unruly curls and a tendency towards red hair.

Marigold is quite the beauty, inside and out, and I can hardly wait to see how the next few years unfold.  I have a feeling, too, that her big brother is quite protective of her, despite the fact that they don't always -- shall we say -- see eye to eye on everything.  When they come to visit me, I am always amazed at what good friends they are, and I think that friendship will last all their lives.

Marigold is a very special young lady with her own little star quality, and I think she is going to make her mark in the world.

Happy Birthday, Marigold...! 

I hope you have a special day.

Love, Oma
XXX OOO