There are the joyous ones - singing them to sleep, kissing bobos, first steps and first words, etc.
Then there is the responsibility of bragging. It comes with the territory of parenthood. So, excuse me while I brag.
My daughter, Shelby (the one with the dreaded middle child syndrome, just like her mama), loves everything about the kitchen - its sights, sounds, and smells. She dances to the rhythm of the mixer, the color of food puts a grin on her face, and she taste samples everything in all stages of the cooking or baking process. Her entire soul goes into each recipe. Shelby's idea of a good time on Friday night is going to the grocery store. If you want a smile or two just sit cross-legged on the kitchen counter and watch Shelby cook.
Last year, her senior year of highschool, she participated in our local Junior College's Vo-Tech Culinary Arts program. Now comes the bragging - her awards.
Shelby received several awards - Dean's List, Most Trustworthy, Attendance - but I'm going to focus on one. One student is chosen from all of the Culinary classes to receive the Director's Achievement Award. This is the outstanding student award. My baby. The poor stupid homeschooled girl with no socialization skills. Way to go, baby. She's just beginning in this life to show 'em all.
Pretty impressive, huh? But, not as impressive as this one. At the end of the school year all vocational training classes take an examination called the CPASS. Yes, I'm beaming with pride right now. Shelby scored the highest in Culinary Arts on this exam throughout the entire state - every Junior College, every student.
Yep, it's the little girl who couldn't ride a bike until she was eleven, can't spell, who crys with the simpliest of algebra problems, and who cannot pronounce the word onion. The young lady who wants to be a children's minister and dreams of traveling overseas to teach proper nutrition to impoverished countries. Our Shelby.
It's the praying - the praying while you rock. Stay tuned. I rocked four babies to sleep. There's no telling who I'll brag on next.
