My daughter, Kate, turned 5 today. We celebrated her birthday with all things princess, including the homemade cake decorated by my mother-in-law (thanks Nana). In honor of Kate's 5th birthday, I want to share 5 things that I love about my little girl. It's hard to narrow it down to only five, but I'll give it a try.
1. I love Kate's zest for life. She's got what my grandmother would call spizerinctum. Kate is so bright eyed and full of energy, passion and a genuine love for living everyday to the fullest. She wants to squeeze every last drop out of each day. She frequently says during our talks at night, "This was my best day ever." I love that.
2. I love Kate's compassionate spirit. She truly cares for others and notices when someone needs a little hug or word of encouragement. The other night during devotions she told me that when she starts school in the fall that she was going to look out for anybody who was not part of the group and make sure they felt included in the class. What a great way to live.
3. I love her independence and quest for adventure. Kate's been spending the night at her little girlfriends house since she was three. I recall my first sleep over at age 6 and I got so scared and homesick that my dad had to come and pick me up in the middle of the night. But not Kate. She wants to explore every opportunity and take risks at the drop of hat. For Kate, playing it safe is a bore.
4. I love her desire to learn. Kate is always asking me to read her books, work on "homework", play educational games, or lately - teach her how to tell time. The daily disciplines of learning something new is a recipe for a lifelong learner.
5. I love her child-like faith. One of the favorite parts of my day is putting Kate to bed and sharing her quiet time with God. She loves to read Bible stories and praying to Jesus. Some nights when she prays it feels like we are going to have revival. She thanks God for everything she owns (literally everything) and prays for all her family (each one by name) and ask God to help her grow up and live for Him. Recently when our baby Henry was sick she walked into the living room where Bekah was holding the baby and she said, "Mommy, can I pray for Henry." And with that she placed her hand on his head and said the sweetest prayer for healing. You can't ask for anything more in a child.
If you've ever stood over your child and watched them as they sleep at night with tears of joy and thanks rolling down your cheecks for God's gift of life to you ... than you know exactly how I feel about my little girl.
