G’mornin’ Friends. I wrote the original Happy Birthday post in 2011. Seven years later, it is definitely time for an update. Today, I am most happy to share my younger daughter, Meghan Lee Smith, with ya’ll.
Thirty-three years ago, this evening, I met Meghan Lee for the first time. Weighing in at just six pounds, she showed early signs of being her own person, struggling to be released from the hospital swaddling that her sister, a year earlier, had found so comforting. An early reader determined to keep up with her sister, she began calling me Mother. It was disconcerting at first, so formal, not just to my face, but in reference to me as well; very noticeable coming from this little person – Mother. I felt like Laura Ingalls Wilder’s mom; (we had the series).
Being her mother, one might accuse me of bias, but I am so very proud of the woman she has become. I am blessed to be close to her, both in proximity, and in mind and heart, the places that matter. I have watched her grow over the years, overcoming challenges and learning to soar like an eagle!!
Since I began the birthday post, each year has been one of continued growth in grace and beauty for Meghan Lee. She has grown from the young woman who began a tradition of wearing a tiara on her birthday, even on her motorcycle, to the young woman ready for a major life event – marriage to R. Brian Smith, known to me as FSIL, in 2012.
Six years later, they continue to grow closer and are, as I describe it, incredibly well matched. They’ve embarked on several major life changes. Together, they decided Meghan Lee should quit her job, and go back to school, which she did. In typical Meghan fashion, she excelled in the IT field, learning to code; now she is one of a growing number of women in IT, a field that until recently, was dominated by men. She’s become part of a group that mentors girls to enter the IT field, sharing her skills and talents. Taking that a step further, Meghan Lee began her own IT business – Meghan Smith Solutions. She has clients in several states, and her work includes developing and maintaining the website for our Harbison community.
With things going well, they decided Brian should return to school. He completes his Physical Therapy program this December. With license- to-practice in hand, he, too, will become self-employed. As co-owners and partners in two businesses based in Lubbock, TX, they have an adventurous future beginning in 2019, Life is good for Meghan Lee!
My younger daughter turns 33 today and I couldn’t be more pleased to claim her, though I’ve learned to share her with Brian. She is intelligent, kind, loving, and generally an exceptional human being, grown now, with a family of her own – Meghan Lee, Brian, and four cats – the Smith family.
I’m thanking the Lord for putting her in my arms and into my care – a gift to me beyond compare. Happy 33rd Birthday, Meghan Lee, je t’aime en bric broc, (our French slang for “I love you to pieces,” literally “I love you to bits and chunks,” which makes us giggle). Enjoy the photos and join me, please, in wishing a most wonderful new year of life to Meghan Lee Smith!
