Tuesday, July 20, 2010

A birthday!

A mother's treasure is her daughter.
Catherine Pulsifer


Today my beloved daughter is 28. Margaret is the woman I admire most in the world. She is kind, she thinks of others before herself, and she has the tenderest heart. We love her beyond what words can express.

Writing of her daughter, Natasha Josefowitz said, 'she is my favorite woman to be with.' And for twenty-eight years I have felt this about my own daughter.

When she was younger, though I never told her, I used to fear that she would live far away as a grownup and I didn't think I could bear it. I am thankful every minute that she has chosen to build this house on her family land and live just down the road from her childhood home.

She and Matthew (and little Piglet) in the house

34 comments:

  1. Sweet pictures. Yes, you are lucky that she lives so close.

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  2. Nan, Happy Birthday to your daughter-she sounds like a beautiful person and with a Mom like you I'm sure she is!!

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  3. Happy Birthday to your sweet daughter!!

    I feel the same way about mine - and have shared the same fear. She's just about to turn 20 and loves to travel. Hopefully she'll get it out of her system and settle nearby - just like your girl.

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  4. Nan, you have just brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful picture of you and your baby daughter. Thank you for sharing about this special daughter.
    I have 3 daughter's and each is special in their own way.

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  5. Happy birthday, Margaret, and what a lovely post that is, Nan!

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  6. Oh, Nan! You always go straight to the heart (mine)!

    Beautiful family photos, beautiful family love.

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  7. What a lovely post. The picture of you with your darling daughter as a baby is just priceless.

    Our family has a different more widespread geographically life but I share the same thoughts about our daughter.

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  8. Happy Birthday to Margaret! She is in excellent company - my FIL's bday is today, too. I'm so happy for you that she will live so close. Beautiful quote - I feel the same about my daughter Margaret and her 2 sisters!

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  9. Nan, you made me cry! That is a really sweet picture of you and Margaret. I know how much she means to you.

    Happy Birthday Margaret!! I'm so glad that she has grown up to be such a lovely and special person, Nan. You done good!

    Hugs to both of you.

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  10. Beautiful! My mother and I have a similarly close relationship, and there's truly no other woman I'd rather spend time with than her. :)

    Great post.

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  11. I can't think of a better gift for a mother than having your daughter for a close friend. Thanks for this lovely post.

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  12. what beautiful pictures...I can relate to cherishing our daughters and the incredible blessing of having them close by, both of mine have moved within 15 minutes of us in the last 8 months...we LOVE it!

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  13. Happy Birthday and what a beautiful photo of you two!

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  14. What a beautiful thing to say about your daughter and what a joy and blessing she has been to you over the years!
    Lovely mother/daughter relationship that is to be cherished!
    Your daughter radiates inner beauty!
    I love that photo of you...so young and beautiful!
    Thanks for sharing and wish a very happy birthday to your daughter!
    Hugs,
    Joanne

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  15. I love your post - and such a beautiful photo with you and your baby girl. Lucky you that she is living down the road!

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  16. Hi Nan: What lovely words for a lovely young woman. I feel exactly the same about my daughter. Please pass along my best wishes for her special day, and may she have much happiness in her new home.

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  17. Happy Birthday to your daughter. I had one of those very baby carriers. Ha.. What memories.

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  18. Mother/Daughter relationships are true treasures.....I have TWO of those! Thank you for sharing YOURS with us!

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  19. Hi Nan - I have a relationship with my 2nd daughter, Pip, who will be 28 this year, very similar to yours and Margarets`. This beautiful daughter of mine is the peacemaker , kind and caring, strong and brave - my soul mate. I have 3 daughters and a son, all who I love to bits, Pip is my rock, consistent and able to love her family with a fierceness of a lioness..

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  20. How beautifully you've put it, Nan.
    Although I love my son and his family dearly, he lives some distance away, but both my daughters live locally, with their families. Yesterday the three of us went out to lunch to celebrate the younger one's 34th birthday (tomorrow), and I felt so grateful that we're all so close, and proud that Morley and I have raised two such strong, beautiful women!

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  21. My deep thanks to each of you for the wonderful, heartfelt comments. I loved reading about your own families. Thanks again.

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  22. I don't have children, but I am (obviously) someone's daughter, and I love my parents dearly. Thankfully, they live within 10 minutes walking distance from me, and I can see them almost as often as I want. Especially after my husband's unexpected death 8 months ago, I came to appreciate being close to my family. I will never take that for granted, and I feel sorry everytime someone tells me about how they do not get along with their parents.

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  23. Happy Birthday Margaret....., what a lovely post Nan, damp eyes here too.
    Carole

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  24. How beautiful Nan! Happy birthday to Margaret - as much as you are lucky to have such a wonderful daughter, she is lucky to have such a loving and appreciate mummy! I am so happy that you two enjoy each other so much.

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  25. Sending out birthday wishes to your lovely daughter.

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  26. I am so grateful for your kind comments. Thank you!

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  27. I love that picture. I feel the same way about my daughter. I should tell her so. Thanks for that reminder. Happy day.

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  28. Oh, Nan. You've brought tears to my eyes with this tender post. Margaret is a beautiful young woman and I'm sure she's thrilled to be able to live close to her mama. Please give her my belated birthday wishes. Seems like she was just 15!

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  29. Layanee and Les, thank you so much for your words.

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  30. I hope your daughter had a wonderful birthday! You are truly blessed to have her choose to live so close to you. :)

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  31. Thank you, Heather. Yes, I do feel blessed.

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  32. I discovered your blog the way most people do - following links on the Blog Rolls. Upon reading entries, I found this post. I was also adopted (from Busan, South Korea)...my birthday is 7/20 (though I'm a few years older than your daughter). It always warms my heart to read happy stories about Adoptees.

    It's a very belated wish but happy birthday to your daughter. As my mom tells me every year on my birthday, I'm a gift to her. :)

    Thank you for this post.

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  33. Kittie, I am so, so happy you found me, and found this post in particular. There are others under 'family' in my 'Letter Topics' which follows the daily posting (after 'Blog Archive'). That's lovely what your mother says, and I feel the same way about my kids. Thanks for leaving a note so I could visit you.

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