My wish for you Brianne

Brianne:

This picture was taken of you and Dane about 2 years ago.

You are almost 14 and tonight when I picked you up at the airport I was amazed at how much you'd grown.

You blew me away with your beauty and your assertiveness when you came through the gate and I was at a loss of words for a brief amount of time.

The most beautiful of women and girls are the ones that don't even realize it.

I hugged you and we got your luggage and we brought you home and we unwrapped the presents you missed and then we put you safely to bed and I got to thinking.

I know it had to be incredibly tough to be there when I was going through my cancer stuff. It had to be.

To sit there as a kid and not really know if your mom was gonna be there. WOW.

You helped me with Dane and I don't even know how to actually thank you for what you did to help us all when we were going through the 'thing'.

You have been a rock for me without even realizing it and I have so many things to thank you for.

You are growing into someone that I always hoped you'd become and without much effort at all, you are morphing into this incredible, beautiful lady and I am so, so happy.

We've done the 'period' thing now and we're trying to find a balance between you're wanting a 'leopard print' bra and my wanting you to have a beige one.

We butt heads on you're having a boyfriend and my thinking that you are too young for that and yet, your maturity astounds me.

Did it all happen because your mom was sick and you had to grow up?

For awhile, I felt so bad that you had to grow up so quickly and understand and realize that all things end. I know it was so hard for you.

I thought for the longest time that you would be so screwed up from all of the 'drama' of cancer and you mom having it.

One day, not too long ago, I realized that you embraced it and became a better person because of my disease. You stood up to the plate and hugged your brother and me too and you displayed an inner gift that allowed you to just 'handle it'.

You are turning into someone that I always dreamed and hoped that you would become.

You light up every room that you walk into and I am so, so proud to be your mom and your friend and your mentor.

I want you to see that although all things in this world are bound to end, we should embrace all the good and deal with all the bad.

The glass is always 1/2 full and not 1/2 empty and although I see you looking at life this way, I want you to always experience life this way.

The guy that will steal your heart will be an incredible person to have you in his life as you will be to his life.

You are my sunshine and my 'muse' and I will go to my grave making sure that you are as you are and you are just perfect just as you are.

Never take anything less than you deserve and never stop helping other people and feeling good about yourself.

I know that you love Curt and I want you to experience your mom being totally in love with someone as this is what you need to get a bit older and find your own 'fairy tale' of your very own.

Life can be a fairy tale if you let it.

God willing, I will see you getting married in a beautiful white dress and a bit of an attitude and that's what you'll need to get ahead in life.

I want you to continue in our fostering of animals as I think its important to help save something in the world whether man or beast.

I want you to continue to have the quest of knowledge and I will help you as long as I am able to enable this trait in you.

You make me so proud to be your mom that sometimes I am speechless as you are so beautiful and your personality lights up every room that you walk into and I'm so proud.

You rock sweetie. :)

I love you

Mom