Stephanie is my sweet heart. She is my first-born. She is a lovely daughter of God. Since the day she was born she has been an angel, and such a good sister to David. As I look back over the past twenty-plus years of her life, I have many regrets, things I wish I had done differently, and how I so wish for that time machine that I could hop into and go change stuff. I've always worried, "what will my kids remember when they grow up? Will they remember the good times and the positive teaching moments, or will they instead remember the times when their mom lost it (there were many) and was a complete lunatic? In our talks these days it seems like there is some of each, but mostly my kids feel like they've had good lives. Whew. I'm glad for that. But I still have my regrets, and now that Steph is days away from leaving us, I hope and pray that she has the t
ools to succeed. I think she does, mostly. And Rich & I are only a phone call or a computer keystroke away, and Steph will have several loving and amazing relatives close-by in Utah to help her when she needs it.So today, I just want to say: Stephanie Noel, my baby girl, I love you more than life. You are precious to me. Be good. Be happy. Choose the right. Remember who you are. You are my sweet heart.
"At last my love has come along!
My lonely days are over,
And life is like a song!
You smiled, and then the spell
was cast,
And here we are in heaven,
for you are mine at last!" —Etta James
