A Happy Birthday Diversion from the Tips Countdown

I am taking a little side road from the tips countdown to wish both my daughters a happy birthday. Kelsey turned 23 on May 28 and Marissa turns 20 today. There were many times their father and I did not think they would make it to this point, and it was not without a lot of effort on their part that they did. They have battled through a lot of heavy stuff in their brief years, and I know, even if I don't always say it well, that it has taken incredible tenacity on their part to get to this point. With Kelsey in particular, the war is far from won. Whatever I write about my travails about caring for my mother pale in comparison to what my struggle is with watching my kids suffer. It's different. It's harder in many respects. For one, it's not the way life is supposed to be. An aging parent is the natural order of things. A sick or dying child is not. But, it's so complicated. At some point, even if they are still your offspring, they have to take the reins of their own fate and look to their own recovery or lack of it. Many, many, many blog posts can be dedicated and then debated about all of this, but I don't want to digress too far afield or publish too much of their struggles without their prior knowledge. Suffice it to say that I sincerely hope that by this time next year, they can reclaim the outlook and sense of wonder they had when they were small.