Dear Megan

Happy 19th birthday!! How do I even start when writing a letter to my one and only daughter? I guess at the beginning.

After three boys, I desperately wanted to know what gender I was carrying during my fourth pregnancy. My boys are the greatest guys on earth and another male child would have been fantastic, but I just wanted to know ahead of time to take the anxiety out of the birth. Some people love to be surprised, but I was never like that. I wanted to prepare my mind ahead of time as to whether we would be welcoming a boy or a girl into our family.  However, during my sonogram, the technician claimed that you were turned the wrong way and it was impossible to tell what sex you were. I was very disappointed, but decided to set my mind in preparation for a boy as I figured that was the most likely. Dad, however, kept insisting that you were definitely a girl and he had all the boys convinced too.  Whenever anyone asked the boys whether they wanted a brother or sister they all replied "sister", because that was what Dad had coached them to do. I was skeptical but deep in my heart, I hoped they were right.

Your due date passed with no signs of you making an entrance into the world. Finally, five days later the big day arrived. After a long night of very little sleep for me (Dad dozed off and on) you were born at 9:03 on Sunday morning. I held my breath in the few seconds after you were born waiting the announcement, and then someone said, "it's a girl!"  Seriously, I could not believe it. Dad and I were absolutely ecstatic! We were crying and laughing at the same time. You, however, were not happy. As soon as you got your lungs working, you made good use of them. You just cried and cried. We tried everything. The nurses held you, I held you, Dad held you, but you would not be consoled. I tried to nurse you, but you were too busy crying to even think about sucking. I remember thinking, "Well, you got your girl, but now what? Is she going to be this impossible to please?" After trying unsuccessfully for a long while to get you to calm down, a nurse thankfully offered to take you to the nursery and she disappeared from our room with you still wailing. When she brought you back several hours later you were as calm as could be. You were very agreeable to nursing and you were contended to stay with us.  I don't know what she did to you, but it worked!

We couldn't wait to share our good news with family and friends. Since everyone was at church, and it was before cell phones, we were not able to get hold of Grandpa and Grandma Lehman and the boys (who were staying with them) to let them know.  I did, however call the phone at River Corner (our church) around 10:00 and someone answered so the news of your birth was announced during Sharing Time.  I am told that everyone clapped and that there was great excitement over this special announcement. Dad was able to leave and get to Grandpa & Grandma Lehman's house before they and the boys got home from church, so he was able to tell them personally that their little sister had arrived.

Thankfully, those first hours after your birth were not a harbinger of your personality.  You were a happy, contented child and all of us enjoyed you immensely. Grandma Denlinger was recovering from a stroke and you were a much needed joy in her life. You and I would make the walk up to their house almost every day and visit with her and Grandpa.

You were soon talking and jabbering away and were totally oblivious to the amusement you caused everyone. I remember one time you were telling Shawn and me about something and we were almost doubled over in laughter with the way you were expressing yourself and the words you were using. You happily kept on talking and were completely unaware that we were getting so much entertainment at your expense.

There are way too many memories to write in one short blog, but here are some of the things I remember from your preschool years:

After an accident while learning to use the potty, you disgustedly and emphatically stated, "me not never do that again!"

While traveling we stopped at a motel room and explained to you that we would be sleeping there. You ran through the two adjoining rooms and then came back to question me with "aren't the people home?"

We took a trip to South Carolina to visit Grandpa and Grandma Lehman who were helping with Habitat for Humanity there. We spent a day at the ocean and you were so excited over the water and the beach that you exclaimed, "when I get big and have a little girl, I am going to take her to the ocean!"

As the little sister following three brothers, you tried so hard to keep up with those big boys. When Josh ran over to the neighbors to swim in their pool you were right behind him. Never mind that you couldn't swim and the water was too deep for you.  You survived by learning how to tread water and to this day you still tread water better than you swim. It was literally sink or swim and you were determined not to be left out of the fun.

Because you were so many years behind your brothers, you and I spent a lot of time together just by ourselves. Wherever I went, you went. We were rarely separated during the first four years of your life and I think that is partly the reason that you didn't believe that I would actually leave you at preschool that first day. I can still picture you clinging to the steering wheel of the car as I tried to drag you out of it to go into the church. Your cries followed me down the hall as I left you in the charge of your teacher. It took every ounce of willpower that I had not to turn around and run into that room and hug you and take you back home with me.

Even though it was a rocky start to your school years, it soon got a lot better. You loved school and were an excellent student. I always enjoyed hearing about your days. The one big difference between you and the boys was that you liked to tell me what happened at school, whereas with the boys I usually just got "good" when I asked them how their day was.

I have always appreciated your optimistic outlook on life. You were never one to bemoan your circumstances or try to get sympathy when you were hurt or things didn't go your way. When you were little and skinned your knee or elbow or injured yourself some other way you always insisted "I'm okay!" On that fateful Christmas day when you and Josh and Jay were involved in the accident that left a nasty scar on your forehead, you were so brave and didn't complain. I never once heard you say, "I hate this scar." You just accepted it. When you lost the tip of your finger in another accident, you were such a trooper with everything. Throughout the whole ordeal---the Vicodin that kept you awake, the surgery, the rehab--you accepted whatever you had to deal with. The one and only time that I thought you were going to faint, was when they took the stitches out of your finger. I can still see the beads of perspiration on your head and your clenched teeth as you tried to endure the pain. Still, you persevered and I was so proud of you, although actually it was killing me just watching you suffer.

I am thankful that you always chose good friends. Although you had plenty of school friends it was always interesting to see how the five of you girls from River Corner stuck together throughout your childhood and teen years. You were so blessed to have these girls in your life and I was blessed to hear and witness all the giggling and laughter and crazy antics that followed the five of you when you were together.

I have so many good memories of us doing things together...singing loudly and in perfect unison in the car on the way home from piano lessons....shopping at Goodwill....Pine View ice cream cones....traveling to Philadelphia to watch tennis....birthday overnight outings and back-to-school shopping....critiquing wedding dresses....playing Scrabble....laughing at and with each other (cutting off the Excedrin lid!)...dissecting what went right and what went wrong with your softball games....and much, much more.  However, probably some of the best memories of time spent together are from Bible quizzing. It was a passion that we both shared and loved. I can still see us in the basement during those winter evenings as we studied the material together. I would sit on the chair and ask you questions and you would lay on the sofa. As I quizzed you, you constantly moved. Sometimes, I would look over and you were rolling on the floor and sometimes you were hanging over the back of the sofa and sometimes you were perched precariously on the top of the sofa. Once in a while, you fell off and we both laughed hysterically. Through it all, you put all the information in your brain and by the time Sunday arrived you were ready to quiz.  And quiz you did. To say you were a good quizzer would be an understatement. You were an awesome quizzer!!! I always loved our teams and everyone tried their best and I was always proud of each and every team. You and I really wanted to win a trophy but as the years passed we wondered if it would ever happen. Then came the magical year of 2011. The River Corner Fabulous Five and Jasmine nailed a second place finish and earned a plaque and trophy!! I don't think you and I stopped smiling for several days. What a great memory!!

I really appreciate the way you have dedicated yourself to living a Christian and godly life. At a young age you accepted Christ as your Savior and I have continued to see you grow spiritually year by year. You don't automatically follow the crowd and aren't afraid to speak up for what you believe. When you entered the secular college world, you covered your folders, notebooks and backpack with Bible verses. What a great way to let others know that you are a Christian and that you are willing to share your faith with others. It is wonderful to see you using your talents to bless others. Your musical talents are a blessing to all of us at church as you lead us through singing. Being willing to give up every 2nd and 4th Saturday evening to work with the Kids Club shows your commitment to sharing Christ to the community and so does your involvement with the Good News Club at the Conestoga Elementary School.

You are also a good worker! Household chores are definitely not your favorite but you certainly live up to the title of "Farmer's Daughter." If it is agricultural, you are interested. It has made me tired watching you this summer working four jobs, but I am also immensely proud of the responsible person you have become.

Having a daughter is special and I just want to thank you for being an amazing and loving person. I know that right now you are uncertain about the future and at times you question the wisdom of continuing on in college but I want to encourage you to persevere (as I know you will). God has a plan and it will unfold before you in ways that you cannot dream or imagine. I pray for you every day and I am so excited to see what His plans are for you.  In the meantime try not to be impatient and enjoy the journey!

Megan Elizabeth Lehman, I am so fortunate and blessed to call you my daughter. If I had to choose from all the daughters in the world, I would choose you each and every time! I love you!

Love,

Mom