Often, when I am considering what to write for this blog, I light naturally on those people and happenings that take up space in my daily life… and usually comes to the forefront when I have a photo I want to post.

Sadly, this means I don’t post much about some people I think are pretty amazing.  For instance, I wish I could post more about Bud, but up until he came home from school a few weeks ago I only saw him a handful of times since last summer.  Also, I have an extraordinary young niece and nephew living in Switzerland.  They speak sixteen languages and will soon win the Nobel Prize, but since I don’t spend time with them they don’t end up on this blog.  I have a nephew who attends university in England.  He has fascinating adventures like biking across the country and sleeping homeless in a park. 

But, these people don’t show up here because I’m not around them and don’t know enough about what they are doing to post anything intelligible here.  It makes me a bit sad that I can’t write about them more.   Actually, it makes me sad that I can’t see them more.  The inability to write something here is just a symptom of the disease.

I have one more niece who doesn’t show up on here very much.  She comments from time to time under the pseudonym “Little Couz far off in TX.”  Can you guess where she lives?   She is ultra, uber awesome.  She is sweet to the nth degree, and at 14 is far more mature than my immediate family combined.  I am fortunate enough to have recently garnered a bit of insider information about Little Couz.  You see, between the last time I saw her, about a year ago, and now, she has become so much more than a little girl.  She has become a young woman.

And I don’t like it.  Don’t like it at all.

This is what she looked like less than 18 months ago. 

That’s her on the left.  Cute as a button, isn’t she?  She’s always been the epitome of sweet, and is usually drowned out by her older cousins, so I tend to think of her as quiet.  Well, I might also think of her as quiet because for the first four years of her life, despite my repeated attempts to harass her, she refused to communicate with me except for using her mother as her proxy.   In short, I’ve pigeonholed her as something of a little girl.  To my chagrin, I have it on good authority that she is not a little girl anymore:

She is about to graduate 8th grade. 

She is about to take over the world.

She is about to break a few hearts.

She is about to conquer high school with grace and ease and straight A’s.

She is about to make her aunt cry because she is so grown up. 

I remember the day she was born.  I took 3 year old Magoo and 6 year old Bud to meet their new cousin on the day of her birth.  Before gingerly entering her mom’s hospital room I knelt down and locked eyes with my children.  I explained to them the little person they were about to meet would be part of their lives forever, and they should take special note of this moment of seeing her for the very first time. 

We walked into the room, and Bud displayed an appropriate amount of awe by gently approaching his young cousin and treating her with the utmost honor by asking me “Can I pet it?”

Thankfully, things improved from there. 

The object my son once believed was a small animal attended her 8th grade formal last night.  Her and her friends were gorgeous and somewhat to my dismay, so very grown up. 

Little Couz far off in TX, it looks to me like we may just have to be dropping the “Little” in your title.  You are beautiful.  And, SweetGuy, Bud, Magoo and I are so proud of your graduation, and more importantly, the quality young woman you are.

Who would’ve known you would have turned out so amazing.  As Bud was that very first day, we are in awe of you.  (’Cept we are now aware you are not a puppy).

Congratulations and we love and miss you!!!!!

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 17th, 2009 at 11:41 pm and is filed under Blogging, Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.