Ten

Its been a decade.  Ten years.   Never has time flown by so quickly.  I promise you that just a few sleeps ago this girl was my precious little baby doll,  a few blinks later she was five… And now today, she is ten.

I can honestly tell you I barely remember life without her.  She is a kind and gentle spirit, with just enough gumption to be herself and swim upstream if necessary.  That’s my girl!  And she has brought us so much joy, happiness and love.

My heart feels like it is being squeezed.

Many of my friends have older children.  They tell me to be afraid of the double digit years, that it can be complicated.  And it is probably true.  But I’m not afraid of the future that way.  I’m just afraid of the past and how fast it has gone.   Time is not on my side here, and I know it.

As we celebrate ten years of life with Emily, I can tell you that I am grateful she has chosen to follow Him. I feel sure that He has begun a good work in her heart and He will complete it.   That makes all of this “ten years old” business just a teeny bit easier.

*sigh*

One thing I do know.  I have been praying that I will live intentionally in each moment; that I will take each opportunity to love my sweet girl while we are together, so that one day, just a few years from now when she’s ready to be out on her own, I will have beautiful memories stored up to cherish.

It sounds like a good plan in theory, right?

Anyway… I’m off for a day of birthday fun with my Emily!    But, I leave you with these words from Marie Beyon Ray:

“We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand…and melting like a  snowflake. Let us use it before it is too late.”

Emily received a very special gift for her tenth birthday… here dad is giving a few pointers!