D – DAUGHTER

                             Today I'm on D of the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge.

 Today I chose Daughter for D, and dedicate this post to my daughter Dorothy! The joy of my life, I consider my daughter a joy for many reasons, and I feel blessed to have her in my life.  When I hear some of my friends who are mothers complain about their daughters, I realize how different and mature my daughter is in our family.

Dorothy was born in the second year of my marriage, and we look forward for this child, as she was the first girl baby I held in my arms, the experience is unforgettable, and even now fills me with so much delight. For 3 years, she was the center of our world, loved and pampered by everyone at home, and then came along my second child, my son Emmanuel, a Down syndrome child, prone for respiratory infections, weighing low and a sickly child. 

It was totally a new experience altogether, and gradually he took more time from me, which led me move away from my daughter. I struggled to find time for her, as she was smart and quick in her ways unlike my son. But I did not really succeed in giving everything she hoped for, especially taking her out for picnics, resorts or amusement parks. I tried my best to involve her, in whatever ways I could to make her to feel, she was equally important like her brother. This in fact made her more independent, and responsible.  My son accompanied us only for 7 years and left the earth, which was a shattering experience for me.

All through the seven years, my daughter was great support to me, and in many ways, even though she was deprived of fun, outings and recreations, she was a happy child and enjoyed the company of her brother. She was never fussy for food, took her brother to play, always guarded him, and took care of him.

The best part was that she understood that her brother was very different from her, and he required more time to learn.  Some times when she found me struggling with him to give him food, she would come around and sing for him, jump and clap every time he took his food, / or  antibiotics or cough syrups when he was sick.

 During her holidays she would make him sit on his cycle teaching him to peddle, she would hold his hands and teach him to write, make him repeat after her and play with his teddy bears.  At festivals, she used to be very particular, when we take him to church, she will hold his hands and make him sit beside her, and control his movements.  As my son would like to go around in the church, and when the choir sings, he would dance happily; Dorothy would be conscious and ensure that he does not disturb the persons sitting next to us in the church.

Dorothy loved the festival of lights, (Deepavali) she would get some crackers, and help Emmanuel to burst too, holding him and encouraging him not to fear the sounds.  For Rakhi she would buy a color band and tie on his wrists. She continues this practice even after his death; she will secretly buys and place it at his photograph..

Dorothy still loves and misses him, she keeps telling me, mummy, I had only one brother to play with me, and why did God take him away from us? I tell her that her brother completed his work here on earth, and now he is entrusted with some other work above.

We have our work to do, so let us continue till the day when we shall meet him face to face. I feel lucky and honored for the gift of my daughter to me, she truly is a blessing!

Be Blessed & Be Happy!