January 12, 2024 Happy 18th! Birthday.

The ball of energy squirmed and screamed. Her cries pierced the air with an explosive vibration. I felt her cry echo within my soul. I reached out and her tiny hand grasped my finger.

Silence. Time stood still and we stared into each others eyes. 

From that moment on I was hers. My heart, my soul, my very being belonged to her. And she to me.

The bundle of newborn energy lay there weak and vulnerable. Yet she held a power like none I’d ever felt before. It was a moment that I will never forget. 

Now here I am eighteen years later. It’s hard to believe how fast the time has gone. But in the moments it crept along, each experience new and wonderful. Sometimes not so wonderful. 

Her first steps, her first words, the day she said “Daddy,” All those moments that a parent looks forward to, and then they are gone. Yet always there inside my heart. 

Eighteen years. 

That crying baby is now a woman. I’m so proud of her, she is blossoming in front of my eyes. It has not been without heartache and pain. I had a memory pop up from a birthday party half her lifetime ago. We sang to her on her ninth birthday in front of her friends and she blew out the candles on her cake. There have been many more birthdays before and since. When she turned five we rented a party hall and had a bouncy castle. For her sixteenth birthday, we went to Cabo San Lucas. When I remember my life,  it will be warmed by days with her – birthdays, and more. 

Now we enter a new chapter in her life. She is an adult now. In my heart, she will always be that little girl who holds my hand.

Holds my heart.

Soon there will be graduation, then off to university. After that, who knows what life will hold? I hope for the best for her. I hope she will fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. I believe in her and her passion. 

After all, she is my kid.

Eighteen years.

Marijke Barr-Eburne will always own my heart. I will be there for her no matter what. I can’t wait to see what the next eighteen years bring. But in this moment, on this day I will cherish the last eighteen. 

Happy Birthday my little girl.