My niece, Keighlyn, turns 17 today. She is one of the coolest, most authentic human beings I know. I'm tired of reading sensationalist articles about how kids today are not prepared for the world, how their academic achievements are far lower than previous generations, how they are ill-equipped to do anything but play computer games. Clearly, those people who are intolerant of youth culture have never met young adults like her. Keighlyn has a more open and global perspective than many adults I know. She is the family's expert of Proposition 8. She's a voracious reader who loves the smell of libraries. She's a talented musician, dancer, actor. And despite her crazy busy schedule, she still has the time to be a teenager, captivated by a beloved band, or lost in a favorite book. I'm grateful that we've always been close, and she's always looked up to me, her "B," her dad's wife's sister. I'm looking forward to our continued friendship as we get older, and I'm excited to know the amazing adult she's becoming.
Happy Birthday, Keighlyn!
Well said B. Keighlyn and I will always have a loving Gibbons' family that we adore, and we both know this. I'm always amazed at the way she is turning out myself. I take very little credit for this.
ReplyDeleteTo paraphrase a quote from Daniel Berrigan (the first and only guy to give me holy communion, haha) Keighlyn definitely knows where she stands, and stands there.
Her mom and I do our best, and mentors like B, Kate, Jack, Ev, and JK Rowling have certainly done a lot to guide Keighlyn into the awesome person she's become. But all in all, I have to give most of the credit to her Nan. Keighlyn will always have Barbara and the rest of us in her heart, and that heart is "not too shabby."
Happy Birthday K!