Cari's Birthday!!!

I originally wrote this letter to Cari last year when she was turning 16 but it still applies. She is still so kind hearted and loving. I have really never met anyone like her.

We always make a big deal of the girls' 16th and usually have a "Counsel of Women" dinner for their 16th. But we were in NYC and we celebrated other ways. She got so many emails from loved ones. She still has them. We went to Phantom of the Opera and she went on a date with her dad.

The night of her 16th birthday we had Rachel and Chris who were in Auburn, on one cell phone on speaker - and one phone with Britney who was in Mobile - we were all singing Happy Birthday to her. Where there is a will....

This year Gary was out of town, but we got to eat dinner with Rachel and Chris who are only an hour away. This weekend, Britney is coming up and we are having family dinner together on Saturday to celebrate her birthday. Then we are watching the - yes believe it -- Auburn Game together. It is so wonderful to be together like this.

September 10, 2007

My Dearest Care Bear!

My goodness how time has flown by. You are my youngest baby girl and I have loved every minute of you. Well, let’s start at the beginning…The day you were born. September 10, 1991 – Wow what a year we had had and how wonderful of God to give us you as the best part of that year. Daddy had been in Saudi Arabia for Desert Storm, Memaw had gotten sick and gone to live with Jesus, Aunt Lori had gotten married to Uncle Ricky, we were about to move to Louisiana and here we were waiting on the next little Raymond Girl to be born. Daddy and I had to be at the hospital at 6:30am. The doctor said he would induce on your due date and that was September 10th. We went to Mobile Infirmary and waited for the doctor to come in. Without going into the gory details, he sent me home and said we would have to wait a few days. I was sad and started to cry.

Dad made it all better by taking me to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. We met Papaw there. Well, we had the Uncle Hershel’s Big Breakfast and you and I ate most of what we ordered! When daddy was paying the bill, I was shopping in the store and guess what happened?! My water broke! Right there in Cracker Barrel! Well, we called the doctor and they said to get back to the hospital. We weren’t gone too long because we went right back to the same room. It looked like we had just left for breakfast and came back to have a baby. Well, they hooked me up to the IV and on we went to work on holding you for the first time. That dream came true at 5:40 pm! You were beautiful – AND STILL ARE!

We immediately saw the resemblance to Daddy and to Memaw. What a gift you are! Dad picked you up and held you for the first time and said, "She even feels like my mom." His heart was so broken missing Memaw – and you were God’s gift to help him heal.

But I want you to know that you are so much to so many people. You are Rachel’s surrogate daughter. She was taking care of you at 5 years old! Not you 5, she was 5! She fed you and bathed you and rocked you. In her mind, I am sure I just birthed you but she was the mom. She would get so mad at anyone who hurt your feelings.

To Britney you are her little sister – she loves to aggravate, but she also loves to protect. She made sure you were taken care of in school and no one bothered you. Little does she know that you are her protector also. You protect her from being late, from forgetting her lunch, forgetting her to wash her clothes, forgetting to prepare for the next day. You have taken care of your big sister for a long time and she misses you terribly.

Last, but not least of all…You are also a wonderful gift to me. You have given me a gift of perspective. You see the sunshine through the clouds and always – the silver lining. Very few times in your 16 years with us have you said anything negative or even seen the negative in a situation. I see so much beauty through your eyes. Those birds aren’t screaming at my window in the mornings…they are singing! And fun can be found in the smallest of things like going to Walmart! Or watching the snow fall or planes fly! When I am sad or down, you have ALWAYS been a gift to me in a hug, a kiss, or a kind word. I cannot imagine what God has planned for you because your options are so wide. Cari you have such a gift for loving – the kind of unconditional love that Christ has – more than anyone I have ever met here on earth. I am so proud of you. I want to encourage you to keep seeking after Christ for the answers to life’s big questions – Who you will marry? What college to attend? What to study when you get there? He has a special purpose for your life and I can’t wait to see the rest of what God has planned. I love you and I am so very proud of the young lady you are today.

Love, Mom