I do have two children that never stop bringing me joy and surprise and while I have been guilty of writing more about the oldest, it is only because he will soon be abscent from my day to day life and I feel compelled to write everything I think of, while he is still with me, but this particular blog is about my second child. While Connor and Kerrin do share some character traits, they are for the most part, very different. One of my previous blogs described Connor as the calm before the storm. Well, Kerrin is the whirlwind that stirs things up...in a good way. She is the snowday you always look forward to. She adds a spice and sass that would make the grinch smile.
When I delivered her fourteen years ago I had a radio playing in the delivery room. (There was something Ken and I liked about having music playing, to calm and quell the moment and even though I did have music selected to play, when she was born, we got to a point where we stopped changing the casssettes (yes I am that old), and we simply listened to the radio.) I remember the moment distinctly, just as she was emerging, a song came on that I have now come to realize was the forecast for the child that was entering the world. My sweet, delicate baby girl was breaking out into the world just as "Born To Be Wild" was playing, yes, "Born To Be Wild" and she has lived up to her introduction. Don't get me wrong, she is wild in a fun, spontaneous way. She is vibrant, lively and full of happiness, with an infectious enthusiasm for fun. It's just not possible to have a dull interaction with Kerrin. She loves to laugh, has the confidence to see her own flaws and most times, can make fun of herself for her own shortcomings. She always tries to find humor in most everything she does. I can recall a sentence she wrote in third grade for homework. She needed to use her vocabulary word, dance, in a sentence. I'm sure most of the class wrote very simple sentences like, "I want to dance" or "I went to a dance", but her sentence was, " I like to slap my butt when I dance.", and truth be told, she did, and the teacher got quite a kick out of it. I can still see Kerrin doing her butt slapping jig in the family room as she did her homework that night. She loves to share her vibrant personality with anyone. When she tells a joke, she can't contain herself and laughs well before she can even get to the punch line and you can't help but laugh with her, her laugh is contagious.
She can make anyone laugh and on the flip side, she is equally caring and compassionate. She is sincere, loyal, generous and thoughtful. This summer she made a bucket list and top on her list was...donating bone marow. Unbelievable, #1 on her bucket list, to donate bone marrow to someone in need!!! She doesn't currently know anyone who needs bone marrow, but she knew it was a need that she could supply. That floored me when I read it. Just an exceptionaly caring gesture and she's only 14 years old. More recently, as we drove by a blood drive, Kerrin asked, "how old do you have to be to donate blood?" When I told her I thought it was sixteen, her comment was..."bucket list". Again, amazing, at her age to have the insight to establish a bucket list that is truly selfless and fulfilling, it's just astounding to me. She has her head on straight and has the confidence to be herself when peer pressure is abundantly in force. She is not swayed by others, and is the exception to the rule. She does not need to conform, she has made it cool to be herself. She is a whirlwind of wit, creativity, intelligence and resilience, born to be wild with a passion for enjoying life, spreading happiness and sharing, within her means but beyond imagination.
