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Today marks the day that we welcomed our beloved second daughter, Michelle, into the world.  It seems like only yesterday that we were counting her fingers and toes.

Never let it be said that God doesn’t have a wicked sense of timing. We had waited 2 years to start trying to have a 2nd child, and after 2 more years of silently mourning each time it was obvious that I wasn’t pregnant, I had finally resigned myself to the fact that maybe we were only meant to have one child. So I resolved to go see the doctor “the next month” to go back on the Pill.

Only “next month” never came.

Rachel loves her little sister

Instead, 9 months later we welcomed Michelle into the world. She was sweet and beautiful and we were all so happy. A comedian once said that a family isn’t REALLY a family until they have 2 kids (because without siblings squabbling…..). We were lucky, because Michelle always got along with her big sister.
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Daddy’s Girl

Michelle was always the imp. When it came to all of God’s creatures, she was a softie for almost all of them. I still remember when she was 5 or 6 and saw an episode of “Animal Hospital” and told us she had to “Give a tear” when she saw a puppy with a fishhook caught in its throat.

The only known picture of Michelle in a dress…..

Most kids have puppies or kitties – we learned through the years to co-exist with all kinds of creepy, crawly, slimy things (although I drew the line at a python – I have my limits!). While her sisters played with dolls and tea sets, Michelle was always outside looking for critters. That didn’t change a bit over the years…..

At least she didn’t bring it home –

It was such a wonderful journey, watching our little girl grow into a confident woman. We so enjoyed the transition from “parents” to “friends” – while we were always Mom and Dad, it was wonderful watching Michelle find her way in the world. She was a truly remarkable young woman who wasn’t afraid to stand for the courage of her convictions, even when faced with overwhelming opposition. We are so very glad that God made her a part of our family.

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Michelle would have turned 31 today. Who knew that her 26th birthday was going to be the last one that she celebrated on this earth?  Who knew that three weeks later she would take her own life?

It is so hard to accept that Michelle will never have another birthday. Her time here on earth passed much too quickly – if we had known that she was only going to be here a short time, we would have held on to her with all of our might every time that we saw her.

Happy Birthday, sweetie – we will always celebrate your birthday, even though you are no longer here for us to hug and kiss.

We loved you dearly, and we miss you so very, very much.

Our beautiful girl

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