Daily feels: This 92-year-old just became a mom to her 76-year-old cousin

Muriel Clayton is officially a mother again at age 92 after adopting a daughter. And no, she didn’t adopt a little girl. She adopted someone she’s been looking after for over 60 years: her younger cousin.

As a child, Mary Smith, now 76, looked up to Muriel—then her awesome older cousin. “She was so much fun, and we just kinda got along real well,” Mary told WFAA8. “I loved her then, even.” But their bond became much stronger after Mary experienced a major tragedy as a child, and Muriel, came to the rescue. “[Mary] was just a great kid. . . Her father passed away and her mother was ill, so she was not able to take care of Mary,” Muriel explained to WFAA8.

So Muriel, then 27, took 11-year-old Mary into her ever-growing family, making her “one of the kids.” From then on, she viewed her as one of her own. Though the whole thing was unofficial, Muriel had been secretly hoping to adopt Mary, but did not want to bring up the topic until Mary’s biological mother, who remained ill for decades, passed away.

Then, this year, one day before Mother’s Day, Muriel had Mary over at her home in Dallas. . . and she decided to give it a shot. “I said, ‘I have been thinking about adopting you, what do you think about that?’” Muriel told WFAA8. “And her little face just lit up!”

“‘Little face’ … isn’t that sweet?” Mary said, grinning in response to Muriel’s explanation. “That was exciting news!”

So on Tuesday, June 9th, the pair headed over to the Dallas courthouse and formally became mother and daughter. “I wanted her to be mine,” Muriel told WFAA8. “And she is!”

We totally LOVE this super sweet story. Mary has seen so much tragedy in her life, and Muriel was there to pick up the pieces. We think it’s so sweet that the pair were finally able to become what they knew they were all along: momma and daughter.

“I have worked jigsaw puzzles, and my life had been a beautiful picture,” Muriel said. “But one piece was missing, and that was Mary. And now I’ve got that piece in place. Officially!”

OUR HEARTS. It’s so obvious when you watch Muriel and Mary together that they love each other so, so much. We hope you two have many more Mothers Days together!

(Images via WFAA8)