Back in August of 1967, Tony and I put on a Dylan song and packed to go to the hospital. After 3 hours of painless labor I gave birth to my angel, Colleen. Always a serious and intense child – At age 2 I tried to get a birthday photo with chocolate cake on her face. Instead, she carefully put small pieces in her mouth making no mess at all. At age 4 she wouldn’t allow me to put her clean laundry in her dresser because she had a method of organizing and rotating her clothes. The first day of school she came home crying. When I asked what was wrong she said, "I didn’t learn to read today." A few month later she came home so proud and read to me "A Bug In A Rug." At age 7 her favorite birthday present was a set of children’s Golden Book encyclopedias she got from Grandma which she read cover to cover.
And here she is today – setting up the Herding Quinlans blog – including entertaining writing and background music with Bob Dylan! A very special daughter, mother, sister, cousin, niece and friend - I am very proud to be her mother.
Happy birthday, honey. And I hope this year brings you all the happiness you deserve. Love you from here all the way up to the sky.
When colleen was 2, I would visit your mobile home with John Seth (the mad visitor). By the end of the the visit, Colleen had her bag packed and she was on her way home with me. Oh God, how I have always loved your little girl.
ReplyDelete8-2-Tony is here at the cottage with me, and sent me to Herding Quinlans to see pictures of the alabama property. I cried while I read your birth day message out loud to Tony. That is a beautiful tribute Carol and I don't know anyone on this earth that would be a better MOM for Colleen. Love, Pat
Happy happy birthday, Princess Colleen. A lady as a child and a hooligan as an adult. I love it.
ReplyDeleteMom: agreed! You are one fabulously perfect mom for me - thank you!!
ReplyDeleteAunt Ricia: I've always been on the look out for a better room. ;) What timing that you should spend my birthday with Tony at the cottage...any new plans concocted over there for the Shepherd to know?
Susie: of course I was a princess - my babysitter made me a brown bag lunch to carry around to eat at my leisure, haha!
I just loved that, Carol! It brings the beauty of it all back again. It makes me smile to myself that when we went to St. Joseph Hospital on Woodward Ave., both Pontiac and Detroit were burning from the riots in that year.
ReplyDeleteYou were focused on matters more important for a great MOM!
just happened upon this from colleen's site and what a wonderful post! thank you carol for making colleen - i, for one, have certainly enjoyed her (via blogosphere) over the years.
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