~ The year was 1966. I was twenty-years-old and waddling around like a duck. My legs hurt and my back ached, but Aunt Eunice told me over the phone, "Darlin', all these inconveniences of pregnancy that you're experiencing will be worth it." "Are you sure?" I asked. "Well, that's what they tell me. I've never had a baby--can't stand the thought of all that pain...oops...never mind. Just grin and bear it!" she said, then hung up.~ The labor began, and all I could hear was Aunt Eunice' voice echoing, ...can't stand the thought of all that pain.... In the delivery room, before I could scream, somebody help me! a man in a white jacket smiled down at me as he placed something that looked like a vacuum cleaner nozel over my mouth, and said, "Take a deep breath..." The next thing I remember is waking up to the soft cry of a little pink angel--my daughter, my Jacqueline.
~ I still get all mushy and sentimental when I think of my daughter, forty-four today, and the wonderful times we've had over the years. I have to say that she has never given me one day of sorrow...well, the day in Big Bear when she was horse-back-riding and the horse fell down a cliff and died right under her brought a few tears to our eyes (you'll have to ask her about that one!)
~ We've been through some challenging times, but with God's grace, we've come out stronger. She's a tuff cookie, covered with lots of icing. She's a wife, a mother, a sister, a giver, a shopper, a singer, a lover of God, a humorist, and...the best daughter a Mom could ever hope for.
~ I could go on and on, but let me take this moment to say, "Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with Jacquie. May she always be a blessing to those around her, and I pray that she will follow You all the days of her life." HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACQUIE!
