I was 37 when Kylia was born.  I had waited a long time to have my first child.  I had to work for the first 4 years of her life, and did not like leaving her each day.  She stayed with her grandmother while I worked, and at the end of each workday, I would race to Grandma’s house to see her.  I felt like I was missing so many important moments, so when she turned 5, I became a stay-at-home mom; one of my best decisions!  I am so grateful for my oldest daughter, Kylia!

Ideas have always seemed to bubble out of her brain faster than popping corn.  I nicknamed her “Idea Kylia.”  If I mentioned a problem, her first words were usually, “I know what we could do…..”  And her ideas were usually the perfect solution.  The popcorn popper of ideas is still going strong!

Kylia is thoughtful and caring, at home, on her job, everywhere.  She is an assistant manager for a busy store, and her customer service skills are always above and beyond what is expected.  There are many lonely people in the world, and if they are fortunate enough to meet Kylia, they will know that someone cares.

She’s a dedicated worker, and she loves what she does. She’s been working full-time, or more than full-time, since she was 14.  She has worked at many wonderful places, and is adept at multi-tasking.  She has always kept a list of goals for the day, and takes great satisfaction in checking the tasks off her list as quickly as possible.  She once told me that if she hasn’t checked off at least half of her goals for the day by 9:00 am, she’s disappointed.   I am grateful for her strong work ethic.

Kylia pays attention.  She listens to everyone carefully.  She takes notes.  She remembers what you  like and what you don’t like, your favorite colors, foods, scents, movies,   She notices if someone is lonely, sad, tired, not feeling well… and she finds the perfect way to help that person feel better.

She gives everyone the benefit of the doubt.  If someone is unkind, or does things that makes others feel angry or sad, Kylia focuses her attention of finding the source or cause of that anger or unkind behavior.  So many times, I have been frustrated by someone else’s tone of voice or actions, and Kylia has pointed out to that they just lost their job or loved one, or that they are on a medication that causes mood swings, or some other reasonable explanation.  I’m usually embarrassed that I was upset with them, without taking into consideration that there could have been something in that person’s life that caused them to behave the way they did.

She always makes a fashion statement.  When she needs to dress up, her look is professional and perfectly suited for her.  She loves jewelry, with pearls being her favorite.  Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, hair clips; she will be wearing pearls somewhere.   On less formal occasions, she adds fun touches like a colorful feather boa, or giant sunglasses or cat ears.  I love to see what she’s wearing every time she comes to visit.  She makes me smile, in the warmest, most fun way!

Kylia lives life out loud!  She laughs easily and with great enthusiasm.  She’s not afraid to step out of her comfort zone.  She loves pubic speaking.  If there’s a microphone, she’s ready to talk, and her banter is always entertaining and fun!  Even without a microphone, she makes herself heard and makes people smile!  When she worked at Jimmy’s Cafe, she welcomed each new guest with an enthusiastic and friendly greeting, often a unique greeting for each customer.  She loved working on the Cuyahoga Valley train, for many reasons, but one of her favorite reasons was because they gave her a microphone to announce all the stops, the sights along the way, specials in the concession car and the beginning of Happy Hour.  That announcement always ended with a shout of “Woo Hoo!”  If I told people that my daughter worked on the train, the first comment was usually, “Is she the Woo Hoo girl?”  Yes, she is!!  Woo Hoo!

She loves learning!  She is always reading, researching, watching documentaries, exploring new areas, and pushing her own limits.  I have learned so much from her, because she shares her interests with me, and I am amazed by the fascinating things she knows.  Like her sister, she was always homeschooled, and I just hung on for the ride, because she went from interest to interest with passion and excitement!  Also, like her sister, she taught me more than I could ever teach her.

Kylia is supportive of her family and her friends.  I faced many challenging times, in the years that it was just Kylia, Kari and I.  She was always there to lift my spirits and to tell me that she would help any way she could.  When our van lost oil pressure, and the engine was ruined, I was panicked.   I called Kylia, who was working at Jimmy’s Cafe at the time and  she said, “Don’t worry, Mom! It will be fine. I’ll have someone there to pick you up as soon as I can.”  Within 15 minutes, her boss arrived and took me home.  When she asked if there was a way she could help out financially,  I asked her if she could buy the groceries for us.  She said she could, but she would rather use her money to take us out to dinner each night when she finished at the cafe.   I will always be grateful for those late night suppers, talking and laughing with Kylia and Kari, and getting to know the servers who always took time to sit and visit with us.  Kylia helped financially, emotionally and with great love and kindness.

She keeps our line of communication open.  We spent all our time together, until a few years ago, when Kari and I moved to Wooster.  Kylia decided to remain in the Akron area.  It was so strange not to be with her every day, but there have been very few days that we have not been in contact.   Most days, we either talk on the phone or text each other, and sometimes we Skype or email.  We visit each other as often as we can, sometimes choosing a spot halfway between Wooster and Akron.  I treasure that connection.

Everyone should have a Kylia in their life!