Thursday, July 3, 2008

Mary Margaret Hillery

Born early in the morning on a hot July 2nd, 1997, in Fort Worth, Texas, was Maggie, our first daughter. What a treat to see pink and flowers and delicate little fingers. Her bright eyes charmed us right off the bat. What to do with a teeny little baby girl! We were used to boys and dirt and trains and cars. Maggie. Mary, after my mother, Mary Frances Conner and grandmother, Mary, and Margaret, after Philip's mom, Margaret Virginia Foley. Neighbors and family were so pleased to see a sweet little girl enter the predominantly rough and tumble boy crowd.

Maggie has alway been very artistic, just like her namesakes. She loves beautiful things. She has quite a knack in the design department, and sketches cute whimsical drawings. She has a year of piano lessons under her belt, and surprises me with how quickly she has learned. No one has to ask her to practice. I don't know if she could walk past a piano and not sit down to play. My mom and grandmother are amazing pianists. I guess the gene skipped me and went straight to Maggie! She also got the sewing gene. She will sit down at the sewing machine for hours making eco-friendly shopping bags to sell at the farmer's market to make money for summer camp.

This girl is also great in mathematics. I remember when she was not quite three, we would be driving somewhere and she would do addition problems with the birds on the powerlines. She still whizzes through her math problems. She has probably nearly passed her parents in the maths dept. already.

Each child on our farm has a particular niche, and goats are Maggie's specialty. Maggie helps me trim hooves, milk, deliver babies, nurse sick animals, clean stalls, you name it. I have been astounded by her intuition with the animals. She has a big job with a lot of responsibility. It isn't always fun. She does it anyway.

I love Maggie. Her sensitive sweet spirit blesses me. And blesses many others in her path. I have full confidence that this soft-spoken young lady will accomplish many great and important things in life. Maybe not in the spotlight. But I feel certain that the things she accomplishes in life will last. I am proud of her. I like her. I enjoy her company.

And I am glad that she requested homemade lemon curd pound cake for her birthday cake yesterday. What good taste! I think maybe everyone should make homemade lemon curd at least once a month. And make three layer pound cake with it and have little girls decorate it with flowers at least two or three birthdays a year.

I love to see you grow, Maggie, even though sometimes I wish I could rush back and hold my sweet teeny little baby Maggie again. Where did you go? Now when I hold you, your arms and legs are so long, you don't fit on my lap anymore. I miss your little baby self, but I love your growing into a preteenager self, and truly look forward to getting to know your teenage self and your off and gone adult woman self. May you continue to grow in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and mankind. Happy 11th birthday. Love, your mom.

2 comments:

Laura: One Day At A Time said...

AW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAGGIE! what a poignant post about such a sweet girl. ;) i love you guys!

Redhen said...

Hats off to ya, Maggie the Goat Girl! Happy Birthday and many more to come.

...from the Old Goat Girl.