Today is your 14th birthday. This might not go down as the best birthday
you have ever had because we are currently living through a pandemic. There will be no big party and no
friends over. But we will still be
celebrating because 14 years of you is definitely something to celebrate.
You are one extremely mature young woman. Sure there are those moments where we shake
our heads at your less-than-awesome choices.
But that really doesn’t happen all that often. Instead you are the kind of kid that really
thinks through choices and wants to make wise decisions. You have a strong sense of right and wrong
and you keep your feet firmly planted on the path most likely to lead to your
success.
One of the easiest places to see evidence of this is in your
academic life. I never have to remind
you or coerce you to do your homework. I
know this is a big blessing in my life and I really appreciate how hard you
work each and every night. You get your
work done and you have a strong desire to do it very well. Because of this work ethic, you do well in
school. You meet challenges head on and
rarely get thrown for a loop by something new.
We are still trying to teach you to say, “I’m don’t know how to do that
YET” instead of saying “I’m not good at that.”
I hope you see how important it is to have humble confidence in yourself
and to not talk down about yourself when you are still a work in progress.
You continue to be our household musician. Not a day goes by where we don’t hear you
plinking out some tune entirely by ear on the piano. You can read the music, of course. But we frequently find ourselves listening to
the soundtrack to Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, or the Hunger Games either
on the piano or on your trumpet. You
work very very hard on your instruments.
I’m pretty sure you could take on another one if you wanted to. I love listening to you play and I hope that
music is always a source of joy for you.
What a gift that is and will be to those around you.
You claim to hate movie nights but you live for game nights. You absolutely love to play board games. To date, you have never lost a game of
Settlers of Catan. I think you might
love playing games so much because you win so often. I can’t figure out if you are that lucky or
that brilliant. Regardless, we have
played a LOT of games over this pandemic.
You have this great group of friends that I really,
genuinely appreciate and enjoy. I love
that you have girls who are so life-giving in the words they speak to you. I love hearing you encourage them. I think the company you keep says a lot about
a person – and that is certainly true of you and your sweet friends. I’m so proud of you for choosing to surround
yourself with Godly, kind and compassionate friends.
But hey – there are a lot of kids in your class. And I have been completely stunned by the
person you have become in the last year.
You are not the shy girl who sits in class and never speaks. You are not the girl who doesn’t talk to
people not in her circle of friends. All
of a sudden you came out of your shell.
It doesn’t matter who it is that is sitting next to you in class – you
TALK to them. You ask them about their
volleyball game. You talk to them about
assignments or projects. You don’t
shrink away from conversations with anyone and I really am so amazed by it I
find it hard to describe.
You have this very quiet and gentle way of leading that I so
admire. You did not get that from
me. Or maybe you saw my sometimes loud
and boisterous way of leading and decided on a different path. That’s totally okay because this is so you
and you are rocking it. Your good at
helping people without letting them walk all over you. You don’t humiliate or embarrass others. You never tease other people (polar opposite
of my style which is probably a good thing).
You are quietly confident and I think that is the coolest combination
for an 8th grader that I have ever seen.
To be sure, there are moments where you doubt yourself or
where you feel uncertain. There are
times you get nervous. But you don’t let
it overwhelm you or overcome you. You
just press forward. When something bad
does happen, you let yourself feel that sadness and then you pick yourself up
and move on. I love that. Its so good to let yourself feel but to not
get lost in your feelings.
You are so very very different from your sister and yet
everyone thinks the two of you are so similar.
And even though you are quite different and even though you do not
always get along I can tell that there is a deep bond between the two of you. I know that in about four years (sob) you
will be going on to college. Sometimes
Maddie and I try to imagine what life will be like then and we both get really
sad. You are such a core piece of our
family. It is so often your words of
reason that calm an argument or your easy coaxing that makes a trial seem
bearable. I love the sound of the two of
you laughing and I hope you always keep that.
I hope you know how deeply she loves you and admires you.
The littlest guy in our house thinks the world of his
biggest sister. There have been so many
times when he was desperate for a playmate.
And there you were – crawling around on the floor playing farm or out in
the backyard throwing a football. I love
the way you love him with your time. You
are very intentional about how you treat him.
You help him even though he needs less and less help all the time. And Reagan, how he loves you for that. He adores you because you have filled his
love tank time and time again even when it wasn’t something that sounded fun to
you. You did it for him.
You are almost definitely the last person to be ready in the
morning. You love gummy life savers and
peanut M&Ms. You still love legos
and polar bears and flamingoes. You lost
the braces and the glasses and turned into this stunning young woman. You are not whiney or selfish or snarky. You love fresh veggies and hate
casseroles. You are about half an inch
shorter than me but I’m guessing it won’t be long before you pass me up. You love soccer and tennis.
You are a joy and a delight and that is a complete surprise
to me because I sort of dreaded having a teenager. You have made me truly love this season. If I could have written you out like a
character in a book it wouldn’t have been as good as you are.
I read it in the papers you write for school – that quiet,
unshakeable faith that has taken root in your heart. I know you believe that Jesus loves you, that
he died to save you from your sins.
Because even though you are absolutely wonderful, you are not perfect. You don’t have to be perfect, Reagan. You are exactly who He created you to be and
you don’t question it. Keep leaning into
that. Keep reaching for him through your
questions (and there will be questions).
Keep seeking hard after him in all the good and the bad. Keep loving others the way he loves you. Keep being you, Reagan.
I love you so so much.
Always,
~Mom
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