Eva Harris: The Autobiography

As is always the case, Life sees you are frazzled, busy with the daily grind-work, pregnancy, contract negotiations,etc., and it says, "Hey, let's make it interesting. So, in one week both my children come home with their usual homework and individual "projects" that are due mid-February. Golden has to, not only give an oral presentation on the Humbolt penguin but also to make a life size replica of one from (and I quote) stuff you have around the house. I was tempted to crumble up about twenty of my 1099s and W-2's from the taxes I am working on, glue them together with some olives for eyes and say, "Hey, that is what I have around right now." But I thought my humor would not go over well with a strict third grade teacher in a Catholic school. ( I still have PTSD from my early instructors-all of which lacked a decent sense of humor.) For anyone who knows me and my talent (or lack there of) for crafting, you can see the endless nights I have spent waking up in a cold sweat wondering how to create a penguin out of hopes and prayers. 

When I read Eva's project I had to laugh. Create an autobiography of your child with a picture and report of each year of their life. Really, it's not like she is Justin Bieber who can manage to fill a two hour movie with sixteen years of life (which reluctantly, we will be seeing-Eva, not Mike, is a Bieberette.) I begrudgingly sat down today with her and went through our photo file of Eva's life so far. This is what I have been reminded of with this project:

Eva is a world traveler

    I was assorting her picture by years and she would say, "Is this the trip when I had to speak Spanish or the one where I spoke French?" It made me laugh but in reviewing her travel life so far, Eva's first plane flight was two weeks after she was born. She has had a minimum of three domestic flights a year since she was born and three international flights so far. She has swam in two different oceans, spoken three different languages(but not all fluently, yet) and celebrated her birthday in at least three different states. 

Before she was seven, Eva has flown in a helicopter in Hawaii, climbed the Eiffel Tower in Paris, swam next to sharks in the Bahamas, and zip-lined in the jungles of Costa Rica.

Eva is thoughtful, grateful and happy

    In picture after picture, my daughter is smiling, hugging, playing with people she truly loves and cares about. She has always been mindful of others around her. She teaches me each day to look around and think of others. I don't know how many times I have asked her what she would like to do and she responds with, "Why don't we make something special for So and So. They had a bad day." I have seen her give up her prized possessions to others when she felt they needed it more, never once complaining or regretting the loss but instead, wondering if they were enjoying it enough and if she could do more. She humbles me with her prayers each night where she prays for everyone and everything except herself. I wish I could take credit for her amazing spirit but she has always been this way. She is my daily reminder how much Heavenly Father loves me. 

Eva is a normal child with exceptional talent and intelligence

Eva has had a normal childhood of bumps and bruises, losing teeth, learning to ride a bike. But she has shown me that she is really paying attention to the world around her and wants to soak it all in. She never misses a beat and that is what makes her so darn fun to watch. Last night, around midnight I heard her go to the bathroom. When she came out she walked into our room and said, "Mom, Dad, I have had a nosebleed but I cleaned myself up and stopped the bleeding." We brought her into our bed and around four in the morning, I couldn't sleep(the trips were playing with each other in my belly) so I went to her room to see if she bled on her pillow. What I saw was an incredible amount of smeared blood over the ENTIRE bed. I went back to our room and just stared at my little girl. She is so darn tough. As an adult, if I woke up to this scene, I would have screamed like a little girl....or maybe like some other, less tough, more normal little girl. I was just staring at her in the moonlight when Mike turned to me and asked if I was all right. "Eva's room looks like a CSI crime scene," I said. Without missing a beat, Eva replies, "Yeah, it does." We just cracked up. That's our daughter. Always listening, always watching, even when you least expect it. 

Eva is blessed

In all of Eva's seven years on this earth she has never felt the unease of being unwanted. She has never had a hand lifted in anger towards her. She goes to bed each night knowing that their our at least two people in this world that spend every waking moment worried about her happiness. She has never questioned where she will sleep, if there will be food, if she is loved. She has never been afraid to approach her parents for fear of being humiliated, screamed at or abused. She knows Heavenly Father and loves Him. 

And this is only her first seven years....I am so grateful for this retrospect on my sweet and beautiful daughter. I believe that I have tried to make my children's lives as stable, loving and secure as mine failed to be. My reward is seeing them grow into these amazing human beings who come home and hug me each day saying things like, "I love you." or "Your the best mommy." I suppose my child helped save me and makes my life meaningful. So I must add this:

Eva is Priceless.