Mommy's Moment: Unwrapping

It's so cliche.

They grow up so fast.

But, this cliche is so true.

Tomorrow, the 25th, Hannah turns 5.

As I was nursing Kate before laying her down to bed, I caught a glimpse of Hannah as she raced to the bathroom.

Her little life flashed quickly across my mind and stopped, at that moment, at this BIG girl. No longer a baby. No longer a toddler. No longer a preschooler. Her words, more grown up. Her independence, more evident. Her abilities, ever growing.

She, all to eager to grow up, asks me if she's a "big girl" now. Hoping to grow miraculously the day she turns five, she has eagerly waited for this day. And while I informed her turning five does not automatically sprout her legs another inch or two, in my heart it seems that way.

In a way, I grieve those days now lost. But I also look eagerly ahead. It's been a joy to see her personality grow and develop. To keep her as a baby (toddler, preschooler, etc.) would be holding back all those funny, intriguing, precious characteristics that make her more and more real and deep. The Lord is unraveling her before me. And I've never been disappointed.

She's grown so deeply.

Each birthday is another reminder to me of the present I get to unwrap. As she grows and matures so does our relationship. I get to experience the unwrapping of her. What will she excel at? What will she struggle with? How will the Lord work in her life? How will He use her? Will she love writing? Will she find a niche in math? Will she be shy or eager to speak up?

There's so much more to unravel in her life that is ever lived before me.

And I have a front row seat.

And so while I say goodbye to another year, I anxiously await the next. I am thankful for each day I get to spend with this precious gift. It's an honor to be entrusted by the Lord as a steward of her life. She sharpens me. She makes me laugh. She makes me cry. She pours so much joy, depth, and richness into my life.

She is my present. Always.