Last Weekend

So, in my last post, I mentioned how last weekend was spent with the family--first, celebrating the birthday of my cousin Joe and then heading down south to watch my cousin Elizabeth make her First Communion. I held off because I wanted to have a couple of pictures to show off Elizabeth in particular (Sorry, but the nature of Joe's party discouraged any kind of photography...), but my camera was in Kansas. Since it has once again crossed the border, perhaps it is time to share a bit more about my family.

I adore all four of my younger cousins. I have been fortunate to know them personally--having nannied Elizabeth and Liam for six months when they were not quite toddlers and having spent the last five years just down the street from Joe and Patrick.  However, as with all children, each of my cousins deserve a story of his or her own. Since I have the picture to accompany this post, I'll shine the spotlight on Elizabeth, who would most gladly accept the attention.

Like many girls her age, Elizabeth is definitely a little princess. At her young age, I am willing to bet she owns more clothes and shoes than I currently have in my closet, and she is probably angling for a few more. She is the social butterfly of her class, a friend to everybody. She is adorable and she knows it. Still, all of this does not make her insufferable but just adds to her charm.

Isn't she sweet? She looked so beautiful on Saturday!
(Ignore the person she is hugging...not at all a flattering picture)

When I was nannying her, one of my favorite things to do was dance around with her in my arms and sing. At this age, she loved the Sound of Music and The Little Mermaid, so my repertoire was a bit limited ("Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens..."). She would join in as best as she could, music being one of her favorite things and one of the only ways I could distract her sometimes. I admit that the six months I was with her and her brother were not always easy (the sweet little angel in the picture above had quite the arm--my glasses ended up on the other side of the room on more than one occasion), so it helps to remember the good times. When I think back to these times, I remember just how happy we both were being kind of silly like this. I am sure she doesn't remember any of this, but the memories will always stay with me.

As she has grown older, her interest in the arts expanded beyond music to include drawing (she is an excellent artist) and storytelling.  However, sometimes the stories she creates are relayed as truth, so you have to take what she says with a grain of salt. Of all my cousins, Elizabeth possess the greatest imagination, able to see the world as a place of possibilities, willing to bend the truth if it captures the attention of her audience. I truly hope that she continues to explore the depths of her imagination and does not let anyone dissuade her from using it. Fortunately, she has proven herself in several instances to be determined to do what she wants, even in times when others would have given up. (Once during a swim meet, despite the fact she was lagging behind, instead of giving up when the others were, she completed all the laps, seeing the race through.)

Sometimes, it surprises me just how much I want to protect Elizabeth and my other cousins from the harshness of the world. For Elizabeth, I hope she continues to see that she has the ability to become just about anything she wants to be--she has the intelligence, the perseverance and the talent to accomplish most anything I think. As my only female cousin, Elizabeth gets a bit of special attention in my mind. For her, I feel the need not only to be a good role model, but I want to reassure her that being a girl does not preclude you from certain things--that if she should pursue whatever interests her, be it fashion, art, or engineering. I want her to know that the expectations of society--that of external beauty, wealth, status--do not determine her worth and that she does not need someone else to validate her existence. I want her to know she is worthy just for being herself. (Things that many of us all know but still cannot accept--at least, I know I struggle with this constantly even have been here 21 years longer than she!)

And, I guess in a lot of ways, I see a little of myself in Elizabeth, that I, too, loved to draw and tell stories.  I don't want her to lose that because it is so much an extension of herself, and I, maybe I exaggerate a bit, but I wish I still had the whimsy of imagination to fuel my days. Its absence hits me more often than I would like to admit. I want to caution her about becoming too serious too soon. And I want her to know that she is loved, more deeply and by more people than she will ever realize.