Today, my middle daughter Liz is the big 4–0. It’s hard to imagine how that’s even possible, since it seems like just a minute and a half ago that she was a toddler. But whether I want to believe it or not, it is true that back in 1986, little Jean Elizabeth Beaty arrived in our lives after a home birth—one that featured her then three-year-old older sister cheering me on during labor with lines like, “You can do this, Mommy.” (I’m convinced that Sarah’s attendance at Liz’s birth, along with little sister Rachael’s, is partially responsible for her career as a women’s health physician, but that’s another story.)

As for little Elizabeth—aka Bibby, Bibs, Liz, Lizzy, and Elsbeth—she arrived with a whole headful of dark, straight hair, big brown eyes, and a natural love for her big sister, Sarah. After Liz’s early morning birth, Sarah snuggled up beside her, and they both fell straight to sleep. They’ve been very good friends ever since, joined a few years later by their little sister, Rachael, who is five years younger.

Liz’s defining qualities are many, but the first one that comes to mind is her sense of humor. She lives here at the orange grove with her husband Ron and son Ethan, and I can often hear her laugh as it floats through the trees. That sound makes me happy.

Liz is also smart, clear-headed, and exceptionally attentive to detail. She played a major role in getting my book, Hope in the Time of Dying, ready for publication, spending hours making sure everything was exactly as it should be—including whether all the quotation marks were headed in the right direction. For that alone, she deserves a very big thank-you.

Being an exceptional mother to my grandson, Ethan, is also high on the list of Liz’s defining qualities. It has been a joy to watch her fall head over heels in love with her son and to see the benefits that love brings to his life. If you read my blog, you already know how special I think that little fellow is.

But more than anything else, Liz is big-hearted. She shows up for the people she loves—and for just about anyone lucky enough to cross her path. She is present, tuned in, and willing to go the extra mile to help someone in need, including her very lucky mother, who tries to return the favor with extra babysitting, always a pleasure.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Liz is beautiful, inside and out, and I feel deeply fortunate to have her in my life.

Happy birthday, sweet Elizabeth. Life has never been the same since you arrived forty years ago today, and for that, I am eternally grateful.