Dear Addi,
Tomorrow morning before the sun comes up, I will sneak into your room, snuggle you close and whisper, "Happy Birthday, sweet girl." When you wake up, I will tell you the story of when you were born, pausing at just the right moment so you can say, "What did you say to me the first time you saw me?" I will stroke your hair and say, "Hi sweet girl. I am your mommy." You will smile that beautiful smile and hug me tighter and I will think to myself, "Six years later and I still can't believe she is mine."
It's true, sweet girl, I can't believe you are mine.
My favorite pictures of you are the ones where you spontaneously started dancing. Just yesterday, you told me that you don't care who sees you dance because you are happy. You are happy. Oh, how I hope that those words describe you for the rest of your life.
Your first six years of life (1/3 of your childhood) have been easy for you, all things considered. Your dad and I have worked hard to shield you from the "real" world. We wanted nothing more than for you to take in childhood and all its joys. You have done a great job doing just that. You love life!
There is no doubt that the next six years will be tougher than the last. Each year brings more of an awareness of the reality of this world. It pains me to know that the innocence you now have will not be as prevalent even at this time next year. Yet, God has given you personality traits that will help you to keep your joy even when there's pain.
God has give you compassion. This week, you came home in tears because you watched a movie at school about a Venus Flytrap and saw a fly die. It was the "worst movie ever." Earlier this year, you searched your toy box looking for the perfect toy to give a friend because she said she didn't have any. You want to collect books for children who don't have any. You can't understand why we don't give money to every person we encounter on the street corner. You convinced me to buy flowers for a stranger because she had a cast on her leg and "something pretty will make her feel better." You are kind. I love your heart!
Your daddy always says that you were born confident. He's right. You exude confidence. You know you can do whatever you set your mind to do. You have drive to be the best you can be and you know that it's in you to be unstoppable. You have been so annoyed that you have not been chosen as a Terrific Kid this school year. Each month, you will come home and in frustration say, "I'm still not a terrific kid!". I will remind you that you are, indeed, terrific. Your response is always the same: " I know I am terrific. I guess I just need to try harder to get the award." There is no doubt in my mind that one day you will get that award.
You are stubborn and strong-willed. Those aren't bad traits, even if they do drive this mama crazy. I know that you will not back down on your beliefs. You will stand firm. You will fight for what is right. You already do. If I punish your brother for something and you think it's an unfair punishment, you will let me know. You always let me know when you think I am wrong...which is a lot...let's work on that, OK? ;)
You love God and you have faith. You will pray for everyone and everything. You will sing worship songs with passion. You love to read your Bible. You love to talk about Jesus and ask your daddy 135 questions about Him on any given day. You enjoy church and fellowship. It blows your mind to think that there are people in this world who don't love Jesus.
I could go on about your love for learning, your great nurturing ability, how you never meet a stranger, etc. All traits you possess that will help you along your journey in the next 1/3 of your childhood and throughout life. You will be amazing in life...you already are.
So as I close this, sweet girl, I ask that you always remember two things:
God loves you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him. He will never leave you.
Daddy and Mommy love you. You are our baby girl. The child that made us parents. You bring an immeasurable amount of joy into our lives every single day. And, until I breathe my last breath, I will always say, "I still can't believe she's mine."
Happy Sixth Birthday!
With all the love my heart can hold,
Mommy
Tomorrow morning before the sun comes up, I will sneak into your room, snuggle you close and whisper, "Happy Birthday, sweet girl." When you wake up, I will tell you the story of when you were born, pausing at just the right moment so you can say, "What did you say to me the first time you saw me?" I will stroke your hair and say, "Hi sweet girl. I am your mommy." You will smile that beautiful smile and hug me tighter and I will think to myself, "Six years later and I still can't believe she is mine."
It's true, sweet girl, I can't believe you are mine.
My favorite pictures of you are the ones where you spontaneously started dancing. Just yesterday, you told me that you don't care who sees you dance because you are happy. You are happy. Oh, how I hope that those words describe you for the rest of your life.
Your first six years of life (1/3 of your childhood) have been easy for you, all things considered. Your dad and I have worked hard to shield you from the "real" world. We wanted nothing more than for you to take in childhood and all its joys. You have done a great job doing just that. You love life!
There is no doubt that the next six years will be tougher than the last. Each year brings more of an awareness of the reality of this world. It pains me to know that the innocence you now have will not be as prevalent even at this time next year. Yet, God has given you personality traits that will help you to keep your joy even when there's pain.
God has give you compassion. This week, you came home in tears because you watched a movie at school about a Venus Flytrap and saw a fly die. It was the "worst movie ever." Earlier this year, you searched your toy box looking for the perfect toy to give a friend because she said she didn't have any. You want to collect books for children who don't have any. You can't understand why we don't give money to every person we encounter on the street corner. You convinced me to buy flowers for a stranger because she had a cast on her leg and "something pretty will make her feel better." You are kind. I love your heart!
Your daddy always says that you were born confident. He's right. You exude confidence. You know you can do whatever you set your mind to do. You have drive to be the best you can be and you know that it's in you to be unstoppable. You have been so annoyed that you have not been chosen as a Terrific Kid this school year. Each month, you will come home and in frustration say, "I'm still not a terrific kid!". I will remind you that you are, indeed, terrific. Your response is always the same: " I know I am terrific. I guess I just need to try harder to get the award." There is no doubt in my mind that one day you will get that award.
You are stubborn and strong-willed. Those aren't bad traits, even if they do drive this mama crazy. I know that you will not back down on your beliefs. You will stand firm. You will fight for what is right. You already do. If I punish your brother for something and you think it's an unfair punishment, you will let me know. You always let me know when you think I am wrong...which is a lot...let's work on that, OK? ;)
You love God and you have faith. You will pray for everyone and everything. You will sing worship songs with passion. You love to read your Bible. You love to talk about Jesus and ask your daddy 135 questions about Him on any given day. You enjoy church and fellowship. It blows your mind to think that there are people in this world who don't love Jesus.
I could go on about your love for learning, your great nurturing ability, how you never meet a stranger, etc. All traits you possess that will help you along your journey in the next 1/3 of your childhood and throughout life. You will be amazing in life...you already are.
So as I close this, sweet girl, I ask that you always remember two things:
God loves you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him. He will never leave you.
Daddy and Mommy love you. You are our baby girl. The child that made us parents. You bring an immeasurable amount of joy into our lives every single day. And, until I breathe my last breath, I will always say, "I still can't believe she's mine."
Happy Sixth Birthday!
With all the love my heart can hold,
Mommy
No comments:
Post a Comment