Youngest......BUT.....Never Least

Meet Carmen: My feisty, energetic, full of imagination, youngest daughter. My daughter who brings light and laughter into any setting she walks into. She is my extreme daughter. She can send you into a belly ache from laughing so hard and in the next moment have you crying from her angelic voice God has gifted her with as she sings her heart. In everything she does - she puts her whole self into. There is no in between with her. There is no half-hearted with her. She's either in or she's out.  She can find laughter in the smallest of happenings. She will make an ordinary errand into a grand event. She is my drama queen. She is my song bird. She is my baby girl - always will be.

Being the youngest child with 4 years between her and her sisters - she ended up doing many things alone. She had a vivid imagination as a little girl. She could be seen riding her bike up the street being the bad guy chased by the cops and riding back down the street being the cop chasing the bad guy that she was earlier. She was also the little girl who would smear mud all over her skin cuz she wanted to be black. She also would sprinkle sand on her face pretending that it was pixie dust. She could make stories out of the simplest of objects. If we were sitting in the restaurant waiting on food - she would take the sugar and creamer packets and make up stories and by the time she was finished - we would all be laughing. She had no fear.  I would find myself gasping for air as she would explore the heights of a tree or climbing over huge rocks above.  She took our time of living in India by storm. Everyone around us knew us as Carmen's family.

During her high school years - her sisters were beginning to leave home for one reason or another. She would often sit on the kitchen counter and tell me the exploits of the day while I would be getting dinner ready. Those are some of my favorite memories with her. Those were precious times.

Now as a wife and mommy, she continues to take a hold of life and make it her own. She is fierce in her love and in her beliefs. She will fight for what's right with all of her being.  I am so proud of the way that she steps into situations with full confidence in who she is and in the God who created her.  She is never afraid to explore a new situation or a new experience. She now lives in The Netherlands with her little family.  She faces  her fears, disappointments and struggles with reality and determination. She is not afraid to adapt to her surroundings and at the same time maintain her identity. I love watching her being a mommy. She has given us 2 beautiful, adorable grandsons. She mothers them with humor, imagination and a fierce love and devotion.

Carmen has taught me to love life and to live it to the fullest potential. She has taught me to enjoy each moment. She has taught me to find joy and laughter in the smallest of things. She is the one who has been my inspiration for stepping out of my comfort zone in many areas of life. She continues to bring light and laughter into her situations - whatever they may be.