A Letter to Amy

My dearest darlingest ... 

To my wonderful Amy.

You are about to leave us for University life. You're going away. Yes, only 50 miles, it could have been further. I am grateful for that. I really am.

You have no idea how much I love and admire you, young lady, you really don't.

You were due to be born on your dad's 30th birthday but there was no way you were ever going to share the limelight, and you rocked up 4 days later, on a sunny October Sunday. You were the first baby the student midwife had ever delivered solo and you were so pretty she cried.

I didn't know for sure I was having a girl - they didn't tell you the gender in Redbridge back in those days- but at the same time, I knew I was having a girl. The walls of your room remained the pink they were when we moved in and I only had one name for my unborn baby - there was no doubt to me that you were female: Amy (after Amy from Little Women - much as I admired Jo's stoicism, it was Amy, in my favourite childhood novel first read aged 9 and beloved ever since and to this day, who was the strongest, most successful March girl...I wanted you to have those traits ... you did ... you do).

You went to Italy, to Spain, all over the place with us, our bella bambina! oh the adventures we had, the fun in St Marks Square, the chicken pox in the Balearics, but oh, how everyone loved you. You have climbed a volcano and  swam in Oceans with me,  you even phoned me once from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

"What can you see?" I asked.

"Everything," you said.

Which is what I want for you.

You were always a strong, intelligent personality. I have too many tales to tell to praise you. You absorbed information, the alphabet, colours, numbers. But you were a little reticent at Reception stage and your horribly inexperienced teacher didn't recognise your talents. She didn't last long at that school. By Year 2 you achieved Level 4 Literacy SATS. You have always been an amazing writer. Every Christmas I ensure I buy you a page -a - day diary and you write every day and have done so for at least 5 or 6 years now maybe and probably more. 

You performed on stage for the first time aged five. I gave you a little bouquet; I will never forget your face when you saw those flowers. Are those for me ? 

When it came to Secondary School I instinctively knew you needed to stretch your wings , stretch yourself; I wasn't wrong. Eleven years old and you got a train and got yourself to school miles away. And then you grew, musically. Personally. Made lifelong new friends, and no it wasn't at all easy but my goodness, you were amazing. 

Then you needed an operation on your spine. RNOH Stanmore. A six hour scoliosis and kyphosis op. A term off school as a result. Again, you were the better person, even at the age of 14, on morphine, in pain; you taught me how to be be strong. 

Fast forward, how many people have been a leading lady in a musical ? Especially a musical they love ? You have. How proud am I ? I would give anything to watch you as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors one more time.

You are an amazing young woman. So beautiful and so strong and witty and ...and ...

I will miss you very much. I love you more than you know.

I hope you have a wonderful time and just like your first day at nursery school, I know that when we drop you off next Sunday, that you won't look back x 

All my love

Moz