I promised myself I would finish these posts while it is still 2021, and I only have two hours left, so I’d better get a move on!
Last but certainly not least, happy belated 10th birthday to Coraline (on October 13th)!
“Coraliney, sweet and tiny, glad you’re miney!” is a little song I still sometimes sing to my middle baby. Indeed, although there are now four Youngs tinier than Coraline, the nickname Tiny will forever be hers. She is the quintessential middle kid: respected by and often allowed to tag along with her older siblings, and but also much in demand by her younger siblings as a cool big kid.
She cheerfully gets up before me and most of the kids every morning, pours everyone’s breakfast juices and lays out the bowls for cereal, then she gently wakes me up with a baby or two in tow. I’ve never asked her to do this. She just saw a need and quietly started to fill it. She is a natural servant.
We chose Coraline’s name in part because of its connection to “cor”, the Latin word for heart. And does this girl ever have heart! She loves hard and unconditionally. When we moved to our new home two years ago, she asked if she could share a room with Delia (who doesn’t sleep all that well, and is sometimes loud while she’s not sleeping!) She still happily shares a room with her, and she had never once complained. Delia is just her sister, and she loves her.
She is fierce and fiery, quick to react to any injustice (real or perceived). She is arguably Niko’s best friend and his worst enemy. They make each other laugh like crazy, but they can’t sit next to each other in the van without fighting the entire way to church 😉
She throws herself wholeheartedly into everything she does: running, learning to play the guitar, crocheting, writing. I know this determination will serve her well in whatever she decides to pursue in life.
But oh, this girl is sweet, too! She gives me the best hugs (and her favorite kind are what she calls “eternal hugs” – you know: the really long ones!) She is always ready to help anyone, and she’s quick with a word of encouragement (especially to her weary mama at the end of a long day). She has an infectious smile and a million awesome faces. I just love her to pieces!
Coraline Audrey, I am so proud of the young lady you have become. I still think of you as little sometimes, and then I catch you out of the corner of my eye, and you are so grown and beautiful. May the Lord bless you in all that you do. Congrats on double digits, Tiny!