Our Josie is 17 today. In the 17 years of mothering her, I have learned a lot about myself as well as her dad because there are days it’s like I’m either looking in a mirror or looking directly at Joe.
Josephine Elisabeth came into the world easily, by far the easiest delivery. However, her life has been one that has shared a lot of and/buts. She came into a house ready to be the queen, a darling baby who was so easygoing (thankfully), but had to share that spotlight with her bossy older, yet still a toddler, sister. She came into the world on a beautiful fall day only to have 18 inches of snow dumped on us the day after we arrived home, which meant our jaundiced, tiny little girl spent most of her first week in front of the sunny windows because we couldn’t get out to see the doctor. She was the middle sister of the original Webel girls, holding her own as the director of all the things and then catapulted to one of the primary big sisters when the babies just kept rolling in.
And yet, Josie shone brightly. Her singing voice, her dramatics, her enthusiasm continued even when her life felt hard. When she won a singing contest, she had to share it with another person due to a discrepancy in the vote count. That didn’t stop our girl from nailing her performance in front of over 10,000 people. When she was in a musical, holding down the lead as a 6th grader, she had a stomach issue that caused her to miss one song before intermission. She embodied the phrase “puke and rally” like a champ, nailing the part, even in a spinning bathtub scene. As she has gotten older, her goals shift and change and sometimes that’s because of her interests, and sometimes that’s because stuff doesn’t always turn out the way Josie has envisioned them. She has had to share some dreams with other individuals, and yet, she still finds ways to shine.
As we approach the end of the childhood years with this girl, I can’t help but see her only as our curly-haired Josie, carrying a purse or a doll, sharing with me all the ways that she would be found on a big stage or in a Range Rover (I have given her my bougie taste), or as the president of something as she proclaims a plan. Josie always has a plan, even though I am not sure sometimes we always agree upon it. Her independence rivals her dad’s, only matched by her ability to communicate clearly and directly, with a hint of sarcasm, thanks to me. I’m so hopeful that our last few years with our girl under our roof will be shared as ones that we all grow as we share this spotlight with her.
Josie,
Teenage years are hard. Your dad and I have both had our share of new things as we navigate being your parents. While you have had to share the spotlight, a room, a bathroom, and clothes with your siblings, you never let us forget out independent you truly are. Keep holding onto that quality, fiercely, but also hold onto us as you start to navigate things that we can help you with. Know that everything we do for you is just that: for you. Know that there are times that we will work through the hard with some discomfort, but that we are always praying that you are safe, know that you are loved, and that we believe in you.
Keep being the best version of yourself. Not your siblings, not us: YOU, but use that version for good and to catapult you into a success that we cannot wait to watch. Get that Range Rover. Stand on that stage. Be that president, but always, always, be YOU.
Happiest of birthdays to you, our darling Jos. We love you and love you and love you.
Love,
Mom