I've retold this story at least a dozen times in passing this month and it always makes me smile.  I hope one day my daughter will stumble across this and smile as well.

After an exhausting Saturday morning of running tedious errands Jeff and I treated the children with a visit to Malley's Chocolate store in Cleveland.  It was their first time there.  Outside of the store we handed a dollar bill to each child and stressed the importance of staying on budget, mostly to maintain any shred of sanity on our parts.  Eager to get inside the eldest and most financially responsible pushed the door open grasping his bill.  The middle child sometimes a bit flighty followed closely behind picking up her dollar each time it fell out of her hand.  The youngest of the pack trailed behind at her own pace.

The cashier, a woman nearing eighty years, gracefully swayed her head each time a child passed by - her wise eyes adsorbing their assertive strides through the aisles of chocolate.  One by one they obediently followed an invisible line walking by her on a mission.  In a raspy voice she sang outloud to herself, "I've been around a long time to recognize trouble when I see it."

"Excuse me?"  I asked, suddenly afraid of the answer.

"That one."  She slowly lifted her aging hand and pointed to my youngest daughter.  "I would bet a chocolate bar that she's the most trouble."

Feenie with my cousin at my sister's wedding. Photo by Missy.

"How do you know?"  Flabbergasted I nervously chuckled before continuing.  "She is trouble.  We've even bestowed the name Hurricane Feenie upon her."

"When you are as old as me you just know."  Her tired hand grasped her chest for a moment before continuing with a smile.  "You have a beautiful family, young lady.  Enjoy even the occasional hurricanes in life."