That's My Kaitlyn

I wanted to post about the family reunion but for some reason this memory of my daughter came up . There are just some stories that just define her...that when I think of them, I think "yes, that is my Kaitlyn." And this was one of them.

I made a few friends in graduate school. One (and still is a dear friend) was also a labmate, Zakiah. Before I go on let me point something out. I am white as is my wonderful husband. We always joked that our children don't stand a chance as we both have a complexion that would put a freshly painted picket fence to shame. Also known as pasty. And we did bless our kids with the same complexion. As a parent, you wonder how your kids perceive different races/colors. Zakiah is black (and incredibly beautiful, by the way). She is one of the happiest, most optimistic person I know. She is heavily involved in her church. She has such spirit and shine in her that you just smile when you see her. Zakiah was over one afternoon as Jim and I had to step out for a few hours (though I don't remember why). This was definitely not the first time Kaitlyn has met Zakiah but it was the first time they had one-on-one time. Kaitlyn made friends with Zakiah super fast. In fact, she still constantly asks about "Kiah." We came home and Kaitlyn was was sitting with next to Zakiah, captivated by what ever book they were reading. She interrupted with "Zakiah?"
"yes....." was the reply.
"you're brown"
"yes I am."
"ok!"
and they finished their book. That really is my daughter. She really does like to voice her observations but takes them all at face value. She stated it out of pure observation and nothing else. It meant nothing more to her. And the smile on Zakiah's face when this big revelation happened was priceless as well. I think I will always remember that moment.