My baby girl is 25!

How can this possibly be?

Wasn’t it just a bit ago when the nurse handed me a beautiful baby girl with little ringlets on her head. We brought you home and your brother would often announce to us, “Baby Ca’wa is crying.”

Usually you were the most quiet baby in the world. You would sit in your baby seat and just stare at your brother as he played on the floor nearby. As you grew you became a pretty shy girl in public, so your Mother and I were amazed when your preschool teacher, Miss Sharra got you to step out on stage and do the Teddy Bear Rap with her at your end of school program.

You continued to amaze us as you grew. Even as a young girl you were reaching out to the disabled kids in your classes. Though your gymnastics career was cut short, you eventually found other avenues to express your talents. You always loved music and I remember that your second grade teacher brought her flute to school and played it for the class. You came home and told us you were going to be a flute player some day. And you did!

You loved sports. Volleyball and basketball. Even though you didn’t always get to play as much as you thought you should, when you were on the court you gave it your all. I’ll never forget the basketball game in ninth grade when you took several charges from the same girl on the other team. She became so frustrated that she called you a bad name on the court. No matter how many times you got knocked down, you got right back up and weren’t afraid to be knocked down again. Of course how could we forget your incredible kickball career. How long was your team undefeated?

You gave up sports eventually to focus on music and marching band. You were so talented. What a joy to spend Friday nights in the fall at first watching you march then later watching you directing the band as a drum major. And the concerts! I still get chills thinking about your piccolo in Stars and Stripes Forever. No matter how far you got in competitions we always knew you were the best flute player!

Off to college and though you were scared you jumped right in and made a place for yourself. Music Therapy became more than a career for you, it became a calling. You began to grow up right before our eyes. You left high school behind and moved on to making serious choices and finding a network of friends, colleagues and mentors that would carry you through more than just a season of your life. Your relationship with God began to grow and before we knew it . . .


Cleveland! Your Mom cried for almost 2 hours after we left you there. We couldn’t stand for you to be so far away, and yet we were so assured that you were exactly where God wanted you to be. We were confident that Deforia would take care of you and were overjoyed when Maria became such a close friend and confidante. You started a successful career, found a church and made yourself a place in it, and gained a family of friends to love and support you.

And now here you are. 25 years gone and yet still at the beginning of your life.

I pray daily for you and thank God every day for allowing me to be your Father.

I am so proud of you.

You still are and always will be my little girl.

Happy Birthday Cara.

Love,

Dad