Rewind: July 16, 1993. It is 10:30 p.m. on a Friday night. I am due in one week with our first child, and the hot July heat is too much for me. “I’m going to bed,” I say to Leon, who’s sitting in his easy chair watching a John Wayne movie. He nods and goes back to his program. I waddle into the bedroom, but suddenly, I want to read instead. I kneel down on the floor to grab a book out of my bookcase. Then, it happened. “Leon! Leon!” I stand up, feeling a bit woozy. “I think my water just broke!” Leon comes barreling down the hall, all 6’2” of him and stands at the doorway. The look on his face is priceless. This was it. The moment we had been waiting nine months for. The NEXT day, we welcomed our firstborn baby girl, Shelby Lynn Stuck. into the world. Pause: It is August 2006. Shelby is 13. She has just been told her daddy has died in a tragic accident. It crushes her. No one should have to lose their daddy at such a young age. No one. She assumes the role of “big sister,” even to me, helping me cope with the tragic loss, helping me make decisions, helping take care of her three younger sisters, while at the same time, keeping her own emotions in check. She is one tough cookie. Fast Forward: Today she is 21 years old. She is in college at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, majoring in biochemistry. She volunteers occasionally for the Fish and Game Department. She is active in a college group at her church. She has been at her place of employment for over a year. She likes to draw and paint and occasionally write a poem. She likes to tease her sisters. She has come so far, and yet, she has so much potential to go even further. I see her following in her father’s footsteps, working outdoors for the environment and getting to go and see beautiful places like he did when he was in Alaska. She has so much potential. She’s got a good head on her shoulders and shows great promise. What can I say? I am very proud of my daughter. Shoot for the moon, baby girl. Even if you miss, you’ll still end up in the stars. HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY, SHELBY! I LOVE YOU! ~Mom P.S. Now I am going to embarrass you by posting pics of you as a baby and up. :D
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 14:35:24 +0000