Happy Independence Day y’all, happy summer break for some of you, happy weekend for the others and most important happy birthday to our youngest, how soon will be the biggest, at least of our family. I can’t believe that it’s already 12 years ago, when I spent the most horrendous 23 hours of my life in the hospital, retrospectively it was worth every minute.

Dear Joelle,
We won’t be in the States this year, we won’t run our obligatory 4Miler and we won’t celebrate in red white and blue, no fireworks as loud, sparkly final. Believe me darling, if I could I would change it but it’s beyond my powers what happens at the moment. But as always: if you can’t change it, make the best out of it. There will be a celebration, maybe not the party with your friends you were looking for, but we’ll have fun I promise. We can run 4 miles together in the morning but maybe you’re happy you don’t have to this year.. I know your friends will be thinking of you wherever they are and it will be a day to remember, you’ll see.

While I’m writing this blog the annual St Mary’s School prize giving is happening online and who’s a Mary Ward “Building Friendship” prize winner and a prize winner in “Female Voice/Leadership”. It’s you Joelle, you who is always struggling and unsure if the others like you, if you’re doing the things the right way and if something is embarrassing or not compliant. You see Joelle, you’re great the way you are with all your quirkiness. No one writs book about dull people, it’s the quirky ones that rock the stage and rule the world. Okay I agree, sometimes it backfires especially with the ones ruling the world…

Stay true to who you are my darling, because you’re amazing! Don’t ever let other people make you feel like anything less. I’ve told you before: those that try to bring you down are only trying because you are already above them. I know it seems like the end of the world sometimes if someone doesn’t like you or is treating you inappropriate but the truth is that they wont’t play a role in your big picture, so please don’t care. Always have P!nk in your mind: “Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you’re nothing, you’re f***in’ perfect to me…”. …and to a lot of others.

I think your age group is suffering really hard from the whole covid thing. Almost a teenager, quite independent and starting to distance from the parents (it’s not cool anymore to go on a walk with your parents) but still not independent enough to get your social life sorted without help and not keen enough to do something all by your self. A demanding and stressful time but fortunately there’s a silver line at the horizon. Believe me, we’re all struggling at the moment and looking forward to more pleasant times. And I’m aware that I have to enjoy every single minute while you’re still in this age group and still willing to snuggle with me from time to time, still asking to bring you to bed and to sing you a song (who can anyone ever resist my angelic singing…) and while I’m still allowed to kiss you. Please don’t hurry up with becoming a teenager, I want to hug you a bit longer…

Happy, happy birthday my tall sparkling baby girl. You will never know how much I love you and how proud I am to be your mom.