Happy Birthday, Amy!

Our beautiful daughter, Amy, is going to be 42 years old Tuesday.  It doesn't seem possible.  When did the years start flying by so swiftly?  I feel like breaking out with a feeble rendition of "Sunrise, Sunset".

I'll never forget the day she was born.  We were really expecting a boy.  There were no tests to determine the sex in 1973.  We went by things nurses, doctors, and relatives told us.  Things like carrying low and a slower heart beat meant a boy. A lack of morning sickness was another indicator of a male child.  We had picked Willis as a boy's name after my grandfather and on the off chance that we had a girl, we selected Amy which meant "beloved".  Joe and Judy threw us a little party with a cake inscribed, "Welcome Wee Willie Waldorff!"  Even after an x-ray (not nearly as telling as today's ultrasounds), the nurse proclaimed that I was having a big old boy.

Six Weeks Old

Imagine my surprise when I awakened after delivery to discover that I was the mother of a beautiful baby girl.  We had our Amy and it was love at first sight.  She had a head full of beautiful dark hair and her little fingers were so long and beautiful that I could immediately see a future which held those beautiful hands gracefully gliding over the keys of a grand piano.  Bubba and I loved her so much.  One of the most hurtful things ever said to us one time was, "I bet you wish it had been a boy."  We never wished that.  Maybe we always sensed the immeasurable blessings that would be ours through our precious little daughter.

We brought Amy home to our two story house that we had at the time.  The bedroom, which was huge, was upstairs.  Unlike many fathers of that era, Bubba was a great help to me.  When Amy woke up at night, he would go down the stairs, heat the bottle and bring it back up for her.  When she would not go to sleep, he would walk the floor bouncing her in his arms singing, "She's so sweet. She's so pretty.  She's Daddy's little girl.  Then he would get up before daylight to go to work at the paper mill.

Amy never liked to sleep.  Most newborns spend more time sleeping than awake, but Amy was not like that.  She was hard to put down after being rocked.  Much of that was because during those days, you were supposed to put the sleeping baby on her stomach.  Trying to turn her over would wake her up and we would have to start the process all over again.  By the time she was five months old, she was sleeping through the night.  Then we made the mistake of disrupting her schedule by travelling to Atlanta to introduce her to my grandmother and aunt.  I am pretty sure she was a teenager before she slept through the night again.

When Amy was one year old we moved into our new house in a small town closer to Bubba's work.  I quit my job when I got pregnant and became the housewife and stay at home mom I had always wanted to be.  We were convinced that this was best for our family.  We always watched our money closely.  We had everything we needed, but not necessarily all our "wants". Bubba was sacrificial in that he never purchased a lot of the toys other men considered necessities like new trucks, guns, boats and motors.  He always put the needs and wants of Amy and me first.

I learned to sew and made many of my and Amy's clothes.  I thought my clothes were pitiful because I was never good enough to alter patterns so that they fit me right, but Amy's clothes were pretty and she always received compliments on what she was wearing.

We became active in a local Baptist church and made new friends.  Amy loved everything about church. Many a time we listened to a missionary speaker that we didn't particularly enjoy because Amy wanted to attend the mission activity that was scheduled for the children.  When she was nine, she told me that she had asked Jesus into her heart and wanted to be baptized.

As she finished kindergarten, we began to realize that not only was she adorable; she was also very smart.  She excelled in school and graduated in the top five of her class from high school.  Poor thing just did not have any athletic ability.  I felt her pain.  I was that kind of person when I was in school.  She survived her teen years in spite of that weakness.

Kindergarten

She was always so good.  She was never in trouble at school or at home.  In fact, if she sensed that we were displeased with her for some reason she would nearly cry.

Dorothy Hamill Haircut

As an only child, she learned to amuse herself for hours on end.  She loved playing with dolls.  She especially enjoyed doll weddings.  These required lots of planning and showers prior to the big event.  When one wedding finished, the work for the next one would begin.

Amy's grandfather (my dad) died when she was eight years old.  He adored her and the feeling was mutual.  I was so proud of her when I heard her tell a friend on the phone, "We don't have to have the funeral for Papa to go to heaven.  He's already there."

Fourth Grade?

Right after his death, Amy was in her first piano recital.  That began an incredible journey for us all when she exhibited such natural talent as a pianist. Even before she got her driver's license at sixteen, she became the church pianist.  For five years she played for Sunday services, revivals, choir practice on Wednesday nights and any special events that needed piano accompaniment.  The congregation loved and appreciated her.  None more than her dad and I.  We spent a lot of money on piano lessons, but were blessed many times over by her talent, her faithfulness and her spiritual maturity.


Amy also excelled as a writer.  She attended a creative writing course at the college while she was in middle school and received a lot of praise from her instructor.  She also won several contests with her essays.

High School Senior Year

She won a musical scholarship at the local junior college and played for the college ensemble.  She made good grades in college while she worked with the college ensemble and also at the local electric cooperative.  We had never planned on Amy leaving home to attend college, but she really wanted to attend Samford University in Birmingham.  Bubba and I spent a lot of time sitting on the swing and talking trying to determine if we could possibly afford the cost associated with attending a private university. We always felt that it was our responsibility to see that she got a college education and a profession so that she would always be a strong independent woman.  I remember driving home from Birmingham after leaving her in a dorm.  Bubba and I looked at each other and almost simultaneously said, "What have we done?!"

We missed her terribly.  One day I found Bubba outside trimming the hedge and he had tears in his eyes.  I asked him what was wrong and he said, "I just miss Amy so much."  Amy excelled at Samford.  She made friends and learned how to live on her own.  She learned how to manage her money.  She selected English as her major and never faltered in that decision.  It was as if she sensed we had sacrificed for her to be there and she didn't want to cost us any more than necessary.  We probably visited her more than she would have liked, but she never made us feel like she wasn't glad to see us.  Back on the home front we did things like turning off the air conditioner and heat when possible, eating in for most meals, buying some ugly clothes because they were cheap and even rolling quarters a time or two for extra money.

In summer 1996, Amy became the musician for a summer evangelistic mission trip sponsored by the Florida Baptist Convention in conjunction with the Montana Baptist Convention.  She and two other college students traveled from church to church in the small towns of Montana sharing the gospel through word and music.  People came to know the Lord through their mission work that summer. This was another time we had to let her go and just trust God to take care of her.

Her master's degree was earned at University of West Florida in Pensacola in 1997.  She worked as an adjunct instructor while there.  After she received her degree (again with honors), she began to look for a position with a university.  We traveled to Kentucky for an interview one time.  She was offered that position and after considerable thought, she turned it down.  It began to look as though nothing was going to come through for her when she received a call from LSU offering a position in their English Department.  She accepted that position and in no time at all was situated in an apartment in Baton Rouge, LA, where she did not know a soul.  That was another time when we had to drive away and leave her - still not an easy thing to do.  During this time she became engaged to Darryl and they planned to marry in spring of 1999.

Master's Degree - University of West Florida

She was a beautiful bride and had a beautiful wedding.  They chose to have communion as part of the service.  The pastor said that he asked them why because he did not want to do that to just be doing it.  Darryl answered him, "We want to start our married life putting God first."  And I am pleased to say that except for a brief period when they returned to Baton Rouge for the second time, they have been involved in church even accepting "jobs" in various areas.

March 27, 1999

Eventually Amy and Darryl made their home in a suburb of Atlanta, GA.  Amy became a high school English teacher.  I wish that I could see her in action as a teacher-college or high school.  You see, she was always so shy especially as a child; even then she had no problem with acting in a play or playing the piano in front of large groups of people.  My theory is that she assumes the "role" of a teacher every day. I believe that she is an excellent teacher.  I know that she looks for things all the time to make her classes better.  She seems to change her lesson plans/syllabus every year.  I'm thinking (possibly wrong) that a teacher just getting by would study the same literature, the same way year after year.  Grading papers is a huge part of her life.  She takes time to comment and correct giving the information a student could use to improve their writing.  If they don't improve it's because they just don't care, not because she doesn't.

A Favorite Class

In spring of 2007 we learned that Amy was pregnant.  She and Darryl had been married eight years and found it necessary to consult a fertility specialist when Amy did not conceive.  She had some minor surgery to correct a problem she had.  Anyone who knows what a doctor phobia Amy has understands how badly she wanted a baby.  Amelia was born on November 12, 2007.

Love this picture!

Amy was a great mother from the very beginning.  She accomplished what I could not as a mother by getting Amelia to sleep through the night in her own bed. She balances her profession as a high school teacher with her responsibilities at home.  She is an attentive mom without smothering Amelia's independence.  She gives her opportunities to try a variety of activities and places a great deal of importance on spending time with her.

Mother and Daughter share a love for chocolate.

In the past few years Amy has assumed the role of a daughter with aging parents.  When I had meningitis in 2012, one of my most cherished memories was rousing from sleep in my hospital bed and seeing Amy sitting nearby watching over me.  Several times she has invited me to attend special events with her knowing that I would enjoy them.  Recently she and Darryl presented the idea to us that we celebrate our 50th anniversary by traveling to Yellowstone National Park as a family.  The best part is that they are planning it which is good because I really don't think we can handle it on our own.

Amy and Darryl headed for a night out.

I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.  We have a beautiful intelligent daughter who is another year older.  It is important that she know how much she is loved by her parents who are incredibly proud of her and the woman she has become.  She needs to know that she had blessed our lives beyond measure.  She needs to know that we are always there for her no matter what.    

Happy Birthday, Amy!  May the next year and all the years to come bring fruition to all the hopes and dreams you have for yourself and your family.  Just know that Mama and Daddy love you!