Everything from the first week of August until my long awaited graduation on December 9th, 2011 is pretty much a crazy blur. But now, the fog has lifted! Amen.
I still occasionally catch myself thinking I should be doing something. Writing something. Reading something. Studying SOMETHING! And then I remember. I. Am. Done!! And then I catch myself day-dreaming about what I have the freedom to do - anything I want!! And today that was cake pops.
Mysterious little nuggets of goodness. Pinked out to the max for a certain young lady who turned the big 1-0 today! You read it right. Gracie, my first born baby, turned ten today. How did this happen? Someone "lovingly" brought to my attention the fact that I have now been a parent for a decade. Excuse me?!
Well, as far as I can tell, I have the most amazing ten year old on the planet. She is kind, compassionate, intelligent, merciful and simply beautiful on the inside and out.
Mike and I ran across a home video a few days ago. Perfect timing for a little nostalgia. Watching her (she was four at the time) was like entering a time warp and ending up as a fly on a wall. Man, how quickly it passes. It truly doesn't seem like we entered the realm of parenthood ten whole years ago. We have learned so much. And have so much to learn.
God was so gracious to give us Gracie as a first child. We were so young and knew so little. She was so sweet from the very beginning. She smiled all the time. Still does. She slept through the night at two weeks old. Always wanted to sleep in her own bed and started talking at 4 months! She is a special girl. I am so excited to see what the Lord has planned for her. I would very much like to take our time though! Time is passing so quickly and I feel like I just want to slow down and sop up all the sweetness that this age and stage brings. I notice how she's not only growing tall, but that her mind is growing too. She talks different. She listens harder. She understands more. She questions more. I see the wonder in her eyes and wonder at her willingness to be selfless. She is a special girl.
I am thankful that the Lord has brought us to this day without the heartache of sickness or any other scary and terrible thing that so many families face. I am thankful that we have had 10 years to get to know our sweet girl and I pray for 10 x 10 more. I pray that I am blessed to see her grow into a godly, lovely young woman, wife & mother. I pray to stand beside her when she welcomes her grandchildren. If the Lord so chooses, I'll celebrate with her on those days. In as much awe of her as I am now. But tonight I'll just watch her sleep and drink in the moment like a cold coke on a hot summer day. She's a blessing. And I am so blessed to be her Momma.
Happy Birthday Gracelynn Michelle. I love you.
