Eleven

Today I have been a parent for 11 years. As my friend Kim would say, I've kept a human being alive for more than a decade! Pretty amazing. And that human being I've kept alive is pretty amazing, too!

You see, when I brought our firstborn into the world I don't know that I gave much thought to what this little person would be like as she grew. Of course I had general thoughts and ideas, but I never could have anticipated just what a gift we received on July 15, 2002. At that point in life I had never experienced such awe. I was in awe! 

I am still in awe of that little person today, even though she now comes to my shoulder and I recently bought her a pair of shoes that are the same size as mine!!! 

This has been a big year. Sarah made the A/B honor roll all year long, got the Principal's award that only goes to one girl out of the whole 4th grade, and was a dazzling dolphin. She also competed in 4 dance competitions and at nationals her dance group was 4th place out of 16 groups and won a judge's award for precision! I am so super proud of her accomplishments this year.

Even more than those awards and accomplishments, I am proud that the librarian at school depended on Sarah to help her everyday. I would often ask her if she actually went to class. :)  But I am proud that an adult would choose her to do tasks that required a lot of responsibility. I am proud that Sarah will occasionally teach at church. And when I say teach, I mean she goes over the night before to prepare her room and plan activities. I am proud that the other girl's mom's in her dance group trust her to be the "mini mom" in her group and help the other girls get ready. I am proud that several of my friends have commented on how good she is with their babies.

Mostly, I am proud of who Sarah is. Lots of people win awards or get compliments, but not everybody has the heart and mind that Sarah has. Her heart is thoughtful and compassionate. Her heart is giving and sharing. Her mind reasons and asks questions and thinks and believes. It is creative and intuitive and curious.

I used to think that I needed to have a plan perfectly laid out for my kids to follow. I would just tell them what they were supposed to be and they would become what I intended for them to become. I'm so glad it doesn't work that way. Because, Sarah Beth Fidler, you are so much more than I could have planned for you to be. I am so enjoying watching you be the person God made you to be. And I look forward to all of the new things that I'm sure are yet to come!

Happy Birthday sweet Sarah!

*Today when I posted this pic of Sarah on FB, a family member commented, "I love that you can see her sweet heart through her smile."  Greatest.compliment.ever.  How I pray that life never steals that smile or that sweetness!!

 "If you feel your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear that someday you might find yourself believing that's all you really are. Time erodes all such beauty, but what it cannot diminish is the wonderful workings of your mind. Your humor, your kindness, and your moral courage; these are the things I cherish so in you." ― Marmee, Little Women, 1994.