The Beginning.

She was born in the still hours of the night, in the midst of a thunderstorm. Bright accents of lightning lit the dim birth room in spectacular flashes. Deep rumbles of thunder vibrated into the music of falling, falling rain. She was in a hurry to be born, and the labor happened suddenly, quickly. The transition from wondering if she will come tonight to knowing she was nearly here was brief, but strong.

Her father caught her as she entered this world. Strong hands cradled her head as she felt his touch for the first time. He cried as he placed her onto her mother's chest, and his voice trembled as he announced, "It's a girl, sweetheart. She's our girl."

And the soft feeling of knowing who this baby was, the quivering certainty of this little girl, became a reality in her mother's heart as she looked into her baby girl's lake blue eyes for the first time. This small being was so familiar, someone she already knew by heart. The feeling of her hummingbird heart, the smoothness of her petal-soft skin - it was all there in reality. A girl - her little girl.

And there has never been a sweeter moment.

They named her Rosemary Katrina. Because her mother always wanted a little girl with a flower for her name, and because her father wanted the blessing of having a name straight from their most beloved book. "Rose" and "Mary" combined to create a name whose meaning evoked feelings of sweet romance - "dew of the sea".

Her middle name was passed down as a namesake. "Katrina", meaning "pure", brings the gentle, loving spirit of a most beloved mom - her grandmother Kate.

In the instant it took to for her to become Rosemary, it was impossible to imagine she could have been anyone else. This was right, it was good, and it was holy.

Perfection culminated into the most beautiful day of all.

September 3rd, 2011.