the feeling that I felt today. A year ago this morning I was leaving the hospital after a looong night with my girl whom I lovingly refer to as Lala, the name my son gave her. She gave birth to her sweetheart daughter Jaquelle after hours of labour and pain. I came back later in the day to see her again-I was in love. You see Ihave never been there for the birth of someone else's baby-Heck, I slept through the birth of my own. So it is amazing to sit with that child in your arms a year later and think "wow, I was outside your door the moment you joined us, the moment you took your first breathe I was with the crowd in amazement, waiting for your first cry. And now a year later I hold you in celebration of your birth, of the wonderfully amazing things you have learned and accomplished in your first year of life."
The feeling of love and protectiveness astounded me. Who knew I could feel this way about a child other than my own? I was overcome with emotion and reminded myself not to cry. Her mama was my best friend, my sister for so long, and though we have grown apart as we start our own families...I feel the love for the piece of her I see in her daughter. Happy Birthday Jaquelle, I will always be here to look out for you, you have stolen my heart.