for Meaghan, on your birthday
You were 11 months old when we moved to Europe; we celebrated your first birthday in Portugal. During our time in Europe, you attended four different schools and lived in 5 different homes in three different countries. Yes, this spanned 12 years of your life, but I think it is safe to say we got used to living out of suitcases. Here you are, making yourself at home in one.
You were 11 months old when we moved to Europe; we celebrated your first birthday in Portugal. During our time in Europe, you attended four different schools and lived in 5 different homes in three different countries. Yes, this spanned 12 years of your life, but I think it is safe to say we got used to living out of suitcases. Here you are, making yourself at home in one.
I remember pushing your stroller over cobblestone streets,
uphill to our shared home overlooking the river that opened into the Atlantic.
The bright yellow house punctuated the vibrant blue sky amid lush green
gardens. The home had no central heat, nor water heat, so we managed to make do
with portable propane heaters. When we bathed you we worked out a system so
that, when you were finished in the bathroom, the bedroom would be nice and toasty
for jammy-time.
There was a large, round glass-topped coffee table in the
center of the living room that you had a love-hate relationship with. You loved
crawling under it, but when you wanted to stand up, you’d rap yourself on the
back of the head and cry out from the sharp pain.
My prayer for you on this your 18th birthday is
that wherever God takes you he will lift the glass ceiling and will show you nothing
but bright, vibrant colors, warmth, comfort and rhythmic alleyways. May you
find a true home in God wherever you may roam—even when living out of a
suitcase. May you continue to face adventure with quiet strength and courage.
I love you, Meaghan, and could not be more proud of the woman
you have become.
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