Dear Reagan,
Ten years ago you were born.
A whole decade.
Ten years ago my greatest dream came true. The nurse placed sweet little baby you in my
arms and I just stared at your face. I
could have never imagined the great kid you would be now, ten years later.
This might sound strange, but I just really like you. You are fun to hang out with and we have
great talks when we find time to be together just the two of us.
You are still my super responsible one. You follow rules. You put in the work necessary to complete
projects. That isn’t to say you don’t
test the boundaries every now and then.
But I have loved watching you for these ten years as you tried new things
with bravery and a quiet strength.
You are not one who loves the limelight. You don’t seek attention. You prefer to quietly go about your business
in your own way. And yet, there are
times when you shine and its extra beautiful.
For example, this summer in soccer you seemed to just step up and be a
leader. You worked extremely hard and
learned so much and all of a sudden you were this force to be reckoned with on
the field. So many times your Dad and I
would be sitting on the sidelines with goofy grins on our faces because it was
so much fun to watch you do your thing.
You are the caretaker.
You love young children. You love
volunteering in the church nursery. Your
face lights up and your demeanor changes when you are in the presence of little
ones. And they love you for it. You are sweet and kind and attentive.
This year at school you have had a great year. I love the way you have put yourself out
there and made some new friends. You are
a good student, but you also work very hard.
Some things are easy for you, others are more challenging. But you always try.
Sometimes you amaze me with your maturity, and then other
times I am reminded that you are still a young girl. I know you have so many big steps ahead of
you, and yet you have handled each challenge in your life with calm grace. That gives me great hope not just for the
rest of your childhood, but also for you as a young woman.
You are creative and innovative and it shows in your amazing
Lego creations. Legos are still your favorite
thing. You also love making bracelets
and necklaces, attending Gems at our church, swimming, playing games, soccer,
babysitting little ones, and occasionally cooking a meal. The highlight of your summer was finally seeing your favorite animal, the polar bear.
Every time I let you go a little bit more I stand ready to
catch you – but I seldom need to. You
take off slowly and carefully, but you always fly steady and smooth. A good word to describe you would be
calm. Even so, I think I’ll stand here
waiting to catch you just in case.
We celebrate you today.
We’ve had you for a whole decade and it’s been easily the best decade of
my life. I will always be better for
having spent these 10 years with you.
You are quiet, serene and calm. You are deep, devoted and faithful. And I can see how God has begun writing a
beautiful story through your tender heart.
Lean into that story, Reagan girl. Let His hand write on the pages of your
life. Let His heart be the one you
trust. Let His wisdom be the place you
turn. Train your ears to hear His
voice. Open your eyes to see His hand.
And know this, I love you.
I love you more than I can say. I
love you more than 10,000 birthday letters can convey. I love you more than words can frame. I love you unquestionably, unashamedly,
unconditionally. Maybe someday when you
hold your baby, you will know.
But even all that is the tiniest glimpse of the love God has
for you. He loves you when you are easy
to love. He loves you still when you are
not so easy to love. His love knows no
limits, no distance, no choice that it cannot still reach you. The day you were born I placed you solidly in
those hands – those nail-pierced hands – that formed you, that bled for you,
that stretched out wide for you. I let
go more and more each day believing it is those hands that will catch you even
when I cannot.
In every decade of your life, my prayer is that you will
look back and see His love for you.
You are so very loved.
Always,
~Mom
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