February 9, 2011

• Let me tell you about someone special

  

   

  This little girl right here is one of my best friends. She’s fearless and she’s loyal and her brilliant smile mirrors both her personality and her mind.  She’s one of the 7 beautiful gems that are in embedded in her father’s crown. And anyone who knows my husband, knows this is not hyperbole. 

   

  Her Daddy is the one who decided on her name after seeing a chubby baby girl during morning clinic. He came home for lunch and excitedly announced as he walked through the door. “If this baby is a girl, I want to name her Erin Kathleen.”  I was taken aback by his enthusiasm, and replied cautiously, “that sounds REALLY Irish, don’t you think?”  He nodded vigorously.

   

  Her personality matches her fathers enthusiasm from that day over 22 years ago and she certainly looks Irish enough to own the name. 

   

  She has that “Irish” sense of fun with a tremendous sense of familial loyalty. Her intense personality is the Yin to my “laid back” Yang and we blend very well together (Some Xangans may have a hard time believing that I’m really laid back. The Xangans who have met me IRL know the truth ) But she’s very much like her Dad in that she rushes into life with unbridled enthusiasm. But she “thinks” like her Mom, and we’ll often say the same thing at the same time.

   

  She has her own personality though (thankfully!)

   

  I’m most proud of the fact that she stands up for her beliefs and yet has the discernment to know WHEN to do it. She isn’t afraid, even when I think she should be. Before her sisters and brother joined her at UVA, she would go walking at night by herself. Many times I would stay on the phone talking with her as she walked. The fact that I thought this would “protect” her was just as irrational as her thinking that walking at night was a good idea. At the time, they were looking for the Va Tech girl who went missing after a concert on campus. They’ve since found the girl’s body, but not the man who killed her.

   

  I couldn’t stop her from walking at night so we talked during that time. It made me feel better, anyway. Now the kids walk together and I rest more easily in the evenings. 

   

  But truthfully, if I could infuse a little fear into her I would. I still admire her grit though. She’s always been that way. When she was 3, we lived in town and shared a driveway with two other houses. Two of the kids from those families were bullies. These kids were 10 and 13 and they would pick on my oldest son, Jay, who was 6 at the time.  One day, Jay was riding his Big Wheel in our portion of the drive and they were riding their bikes down the hill and stopping just short of wrecking into him. Erin came outside and ran right in front of Jay. She pivoted on her foot & assumed the “Superman” pose right in between her brother and the hefty bully hurtling towards them. He nearly wrecked into them both but she DID NOT flinch and he DID stop but barely. She raised an indignant little finger in this kids direction and began yelling,  ”YOU LEAVE MY BIG BROTHER ALONE!!!!!”

   

  I walked outside just in time to see the tail end of this scene. This child of mine was not the least bit afraid. In fact, she was TICKED!!

  The amazing thing is that chubby big kid looked ashamed of himself. He turned on his bike and left the area. 

   

  That story best illustrates Erin’s loyalty and fearless spirit. She also doesn’t hesitate to let others know where she stands on her beliefs; but she shows wisdom too. She’s challenged professors and T.A.s when appropriate. Last year she revealed in her Organic Chemistry lab that she didn’t believe in Evolution. The subject came up casually but she didn’t back down. She said her T.A. looked like she’d lost her best friend. They got along well. But this girl knew Erin had the best grades in the class and was confused. “How do you know the answers so well?” she asked.

   

  Erin said, “We’ll, I understand the material. It isn’t difficult to understand. I’ve studied both ID as well as Evolution. I know both sides of the debate.”  

   

  The T.A. objected, “But that other stuff is just propaganda.” Erin asked, “Have you investigated the other side? I’ve been schooled in both.”   One of her friends who was in the class with her got very defensive of her and reacted to the intensity of emotion suddenly directed at her. An Evolutionist himself, he began to defend her as best he could. Erin said that he was watching her smile; laugh and argue back. All the while he was not happy at the level of hostility in the room. He told her later that she was CRAZY… just CRAZZZY for revealing her beliefs. But she said the subject came up and she had no problem discussing her position on the matter.

   

  The way she described it later, I could picture it perfectly. Her smiling, laughing and firing right back. Her friend looking confused and feeling defensive about his little friend being “attacked”. But Erin didn’t really feel like she needed help. She was comfortable with her knowledge and with her argument.

   

  Btw, she’s a T.A. this year for her Ecology and Evolution professor.   

   

  

  That’s Erin: confident; respectful and….. very happy!

  

  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Erin Red Baron!!  

   

  I SURE do LOVE YOU!!!

   

  Mom  

   

   

   

   

  • 8:21 am
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