A New Kind of Strength

Becoming a mother showed me just how deep love can go. It’s a love that’s fierce and protective, tender and consuming, exhausting and overwhelming—but so incredibly beautiful. It stretches you in ways you never imagined, and yet it fills you up in places you didn’t even know were empty.

When I first held My daughter in my arms, I felt that instant rush of connection. Over time, it’s been the little moments that truly revealed the depth of our bond. The way she looks at the world with curiosity, the strength in her tiny voice when she insists on doing things her own way, and the fire she carries within her and it just all feels so familiar.

From the moment she could talk, I began seeing glimpses of Kirsten in her. Little things. A sharp wit and unfiltered honesty. As she’s grown, those flashes have only become brighter. Sofia doesn’t know it yet, but she’s carrying on her aunt’s legacy in the most natural, beautiful way.

She stands her ground. She questions everything. She is and always has been so smart and mature for her age, she has a sense of knowing what’s right and not being afraid to speak up, even when it’s hard. It sometimes gets her into some trouble. I often feel like she is misunderstood by a lot of people. adults and kids her own age. She shows me that she won’t shrink for anyone. Just like Kirsten never did. I admire that about my baby girl. She pushes my buttons, but I never want to dull that spunk from her. It will get her far in life if she uses it correctly. 

Sometimes, she’ll sass me a little too hard, and I’ll pause, look at her, and think with a smile, That’s Kirsten. It catches me off guard, how much one spirit can echo through another, but it also comforts me. Because in Sofia, I see that Kirsten’s fire didn’t fade. It lives on.