Most of her early pictures were taken in the hospital in black and white, in an ICU for preemies and full of wires and tubes.
At one time she was sharing a box with another baby but had to be moved to one of her own as she was pulling out that baby's wires and tubes.
Sometimes when I went for a visit to take milk, she was lying with her feet out the hand holes of the unit. Small ... yes, but mighty!
Today I sit in the same location where I sat on her homecoming. The house has been rebuilt and the path paved, some neighbors have left but some are still here and remember that sweet little girl. They even remember that it is her birthday because the tree we planted to celebrate her birth has begun to bloom.
It was such a joy to be the perfect mother of a perfect daughter ... probably one of the reasons she was followed by three more perfect daughters.
(the two sons were sent by God to keep me humble).
Actually, when she was rescued by my kids from the wilds of Tochigi, the vet estimated her age at three months. Counting backwards placed her birthday on Valentine's Day.
This morning she accompanied me as usual for onigiri delivery in Shibuya. Oh, how she loves to get pats and praise from those homeless men. Today she even shared a tidbit from someone, waiting patiently for the word "itadakimasu"
(roughly, I will partake ... her signal to accept the treat).
February may be a short month but it is a big one with birthdays starting with my Granddaughter, Naomi in early February, and ending with my #3 daughter at the end of the month. (And her flowers are about to open too).
wonderful memories x and to have a beautiful tree to admire (as well as a beautiful companion of course x) makes it even better x
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post and wonderful to see her tree bloom each year. I can't wait for ours to bloom and it will be around Dani's birthday too, so something special to see every year in her memory. I wish we lived closer, would love to help you, to help others.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Lovely memories. Lovely plum flower too :) It's so bright pink. Hope it's getting warm now.
ReplyDeleteThank you for these beautiful memories. Some of the events happened on their own, and many you made happen, for instance planting the trees. What a wonderful tradition. I got a kick out of learning about the first year of your first daughter! Small but mighty!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely idea fo plant a tree for a birth.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to read about your daughter. And it does look like you have a run of birthdays at this time.
ReplyDeleteI think seeing the tree blossoming is very special.
testing for noreply
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