Our first born
Last week, National Daughter’s Day was celebrated. If you are on Facebook, you would know this. Our first born was a girl.
My husband told me our first child had to be a girl. I heard in some circles a wife must obey her husband. I had the daughter he wanted, and she was a beautiful work of art, tiny with dark hair and huge dark eyes.
Let me clarify something. I have never really obeyed anyone, not my parents, bosses, teachers, no one. What I did, even as a little kid, was respect people if they deserved it, but this isn’t about me. It’s about Heather Brooks Ray, just as perfect a human being as has ever lived.
Yes, she’s our daughter, but what a truly wonderful person she is.
After we came home from the hospital, the first thing I did was rock our daughter in the rocking chair my husband had gotten me for a wedding present. In truth, for several years, I had the chair all set, but I wouldn’t sit in it until I held our child in my arms. Finally, after five years, I cuddled this tiny girl as I settled into that old rocker. It felt just right. She stared up at me with her big, brown, long-lashed eyes as tears rolled down my face. We had a child at last, and I breathed freely for the first time in a long while.
She said her first real word when she was around seven or eight months old. Her grandmother was holding her while I went to be fitted for a bridesmaid’s gown for a wedding I was to be in. When I came out, my mother-in-law was so excited. She said, “Listen, just listen.”
In a tiny voice Heather said, “Bird” just as clear as a bell. We were both so excited. Heather appeared to be happy too and she continued to point out every bird she saw.
At 18 months she said her first sentence, “Where Daddy gone?” as she came into a room at her grandmother’s looking for him. Mother and I just kind of stared at her. This child was so intelligent. I know. I know. I sound like a bragging parent, but y’all she continued to astound us all the time with one thing or another.
She took her first steps at nine months and her favorite toy was a push toy called a Popcorn machine. She ran all over the place with it. When she was around 11 months old, she gave us quite a scare. She woke up crying weakly and seemed to have trouble breathing.
She rode in an ambulance to Hamilton in Whitfield County where she had been born. This wee girl who was the light in our lives did not wake up for over 12 hours. The medical staff was stumped. All kinds of tests were done, and nothing was found. When she did wake up, it was like nothing had happened. She ate, ran up and down the halls, and giggled constantly. One thing she didn’t do was play with the popcorn machine. She was terrified of it and never touched hers again. We never found out what caused mysterious illness.
She started school and enjoyed learning. She had been reading since she was around four and read just about every book in the school library, especially in middle school. The media specialist couldn’t keep enough books for her. I got her a card at our local library and also took her to the library in Rome. She always had a book to read and still does. She also loved to write and one of her stories won a state competition. It was on display in the rotunda of the State Capitol. Her teacher, Marty Holt, saw her potential.
She won state titles in oratory and extemporaneous speaking under the tutelage of the infamous Sandra Silvers in debate classes at Calhoun High School. She was the only freshman to be chosen for Show Choir when Barry Nicora came to Calhoun High School and took over the music program. He was a wonderful teacher and a positive influence in her life.
She is a graduate of the University of Georgia and taught for a while, but found her niche as an office manager for one of the schools. She married the love of her life, Will Ray, in 1997 and they have two children, Jeffrey and River.
I must add that she is quite an accomplished photographer. She recently started taking a wood-working class. I was not surprised when she called all excited saying, “I learned how to use a band saw and didn’t cut off anything!”
Yes, this is our girl, our only girl. We are blessed.