Happy birthday to my middle child, who was never at risk of getting lost in the middle.
There are so many things to say and ways to celebrate Soraya. I wasn’t sure where to point this birthday candle.
I’ve already posted about how Soraya was in physical therapy hours after she was born.
I’ve written more than once about how she opted for cozy over speed, not just in birth, but in sitting up, crawling, and walking.
We’ve all laughed with her about how she’d poop out at parties, even her own sleepovers.
And now it’s fun to reflect on the contrast between those hesitant beginnings and her effervescent adulthood.
But have I told you how in all those phases—from the unborn child too cozy to bother with birth to the thirty-something too busy building a life to bother with obstacles—she has remained remarkably true to herself?
Her green (sometimes blue) hair isn’t a trend. It’s expression. She wears her colors because they’re hers.
Her marriage wasn’t born from expectation or social pressure. The life she and Jarvi are creating together—on the land, in the soil, through music, community, and business—reflects the same integrity that has always guided her choices.
Watching her life unfold is exhilarating. Sometimes a little frightening. Always soulful. Deeply connected to herself, to family—both chosen and biological—to community, and to this planet.
A Beam of Light
In one of my early memories with Soraya, we were sitting on the living room floor. Just the two of us. By then she was sitting up and crawling some.
The afternoon sun stretched across the linoleum floor like a path leading to the window and the world beyond. She crawled toward me. Unbothered by paths or expectations, she stopped and sat up. For a long moment—several minutes maybe—we sat watching each other.
I remember worrying that I should be talking. Shouldn’t mothers talk to their babies? I was never much for baby talk, and that afternoon I wondered if my silence might slow her development.
I couldn’t bring myself to break the spell.
Not even to say her name.
A path of light cut through the space between us. I could feel the connection, the trueness of the moment, the light she already carried.
Those are, and have always been her gifts: connection, integrity, and light.
She didn’t need my baby talk then. She doesn’t need it now. What a joy to still share a quiet, true connection with my now adult middle child.
I hope you have a bright, beautiful birthday, full of cake, connection, and light (from so many candles!!).
I love you,
Mama
©Pennie Nichols. All Rights Reserved. 2026
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