What A Gift

My little girl just mailed her first letter today. She drew a picture of her great grandmother, a rainbow, and flowers. She folded it, placed it in it's envelope, licked the life out of it until it sagged like a little old lady, and even wrote the address all by herself. As she walked to the mailbox with a little apprehension I reassured her with a thumbs up from the window. She remembered to look both ways before going into the street. As she peered inside the mailbox to make sure there were no spiders lurking before placing her letter inside she arose with the biggest smile on her face. She lifted the flag and ran back up the driveway waving at me giggling to herself the entire way.

I'm so blessed to have such a precious little gift from God. She reminds every day to find joy in the silliest things. Often we don't take older people so seriously when they say "cherish them now, they grow up fast" simply because you just can't even fathom the day that you will no longer have to wash peanutbutter out of their hair or be interrupted every time you get an important phone call. But with each day and every step my daughter takes into womanhood (I can't even believe I just associated my tiny princess with womanhood!) I understand what those little old ladies at the grocery store are talking about. One day she will probably drudgingly walk out to that mailbox to mail off a bill she can't afford to pay without the precious toothless smile upon her face. She'll be an adult like the rest of us. So for now I'll remember to laugh a little louder when she puts her shoes on the wrong feet, to cry a little harder when she loses a tooth and reminds me that she's not a baby anymore, and to hug her more tightly when she needs her mommy.