My Gentle Girl

Maggie was a very easy child to raise. She only required two swats her whole life. She was so sensitive to my feelings that it only took a look from me to send her back on track. I called it "The Mother Look." 
She was not only very sensitive to my feelings but also to everyone around her. She was the friend who was always there to listen; the sister who always had time to help her brothers through their hurts and fears. Her caring ways made her a sought after ear. 
She was a beautiful little girl, picture to follow, and very bright. Once when the children were all very small we were reading from a book her Godmother had given her. It was "Noah's Ark." We all took turns reading it, I went first, then Justin, then Brandon. When it was Maggie's turn she took the book and said in her little girl voice, "They put the chicken in the boat and they closed the door." It was so succinct and so funny that the story became a beloved family memory. 
She was driving by the time I had my back surgery. She drove me to the hospital, was up there visiting at every opportunity and bought me stuffed animals from the gift shop. Other teenage girls would have taken the opportunity to do things they shouldn't given the freedom she happened into. And she was right on time to drive me home.
Once there she helped me change clothes and helped me into bed where she stayed sitting next to me in case I needed something. I would drift off to sleep. Upon opening my eyes she would immediately ask, "Do you need anything, Mom? Water? A new pillow? Do you want the TV on?" 
She encouraged me to push through the pain and work up to walking daily, gradually extending the distance. She had read through all of my post op instructions and was holding me to them, quietly, gently but firmly. 
She was awarded a scholarship to a private nursing school. I think that was the perfect choice of career for her, though I don't think she would have stopped there. I think she would have gone on to get her medical degree. She talked about it often. All she wanted to do was help people.  
I miss her cheery disposition. She rarely had a down day. If she did she would brush it off and go out with a friend to do something to take her mind off it. I admired her ability to shake things off. I admired her. Period.