Biz

Today my oldest niece turns 17. I CANNOT believe that it has been 17 years since I held that little baby in Memphis, TN who had a Mohawk hairdo because of medical issues from her birth (she had to have needles in her head and her hair was too long so they shaved it). This birthday for me signals many things. 1) time is passing too quickly 2) my niece is nearly done with HS and thus about to become an adult 3) I remember distinctly being 17 and what a mix of emotions I felt about growing up (and not growing up) ....I could go on about what this birthday means but it just is big....but let me move onto the beautiful human being that is celebrating this birthday...that is the more important thing.

Biz is the first of 6 grand kids in my family. She has blazed the trail for the younger generation on so many levels and sometimes that comes with its advantages and many times comes with its issues. She is an inspiration to me on her resiliency, her confidence and her ability to just know what she wants to do and the confidence to just do it. I know that she might feel that she doesn't always know "the WHAT (but do any of us ever) but in the big scheme of things, she seems to figure it out pretty quickly or at least to articulate what she doesn't want which steers her closer to the WHAT of what she wants (I know I'm not making sense...but). She and her whole family had to endure an unwanted absence of her father last year and they all did a fabulous job keeping it together. She most likely did her fair share of 'parenting' of her younger brother and keeping the house together in that time. I'll never truly know how that felt to be her...but from the outside, she did it with grace and remained pretty 'solid' through it all. I am so excited to see what the future holds for her and I'm excited for all the proud moments I'll share with my family when we hear of her accomplishments moving forward. Her can do spirit, resiliency and her kindness make me so proud that I know her and hope that she remains a big part of my life moving forward. I love you Biz!