The beautiful girl in the picture above is my daughter Kelly celebrating her first birthday.
My parents were always very efficient — they raised their own babysitters. I was ten and my brother was eight when my sister was born. So I clearly remember my parents talking about wanting two boys and two girls. But it didn’t work out that way — my sister was followed by another boy.
Fast forward a few years — my parents were looking forward to having a granddaughter to spoil. My brother got married before I did and had four boys. My first child was a boy.
But then, on January 1, 1972, Kelly Elizabeth Adams arrived in the world. She came as a surprise to just about everyone — her mother and I didn’t have any girl’s names picked out. Kelly made quite an entrance into the world — she was the first baby of the new year in Wabash County, Indiana. Kelly also showed that she has a mind of her own — she was supposed to be a 1971 tax deduction!
So in the midst of New Year celebrations, I would like to wish my favorite daughter a very happy birthday. She started recycling birthdays a few years ago, so I can’t tell you how old she is. But I can tell you that she still likes chocolate. And by the way, she’s my parent’s only granddaughter.


