Today my youngest baby, ME, turns two, and boy do I love her with more love than I can hold! I say youngest “baby” because I still call both my girls my babies, and I always will – at least behind their backs.
Two years ago God plopped this little angel down among three high-strung firstborns – her daddy, her older sister, and me – because He knew we needed to chill-out and gain some perspective. That’s what ME has brought us – perspective.
ME has a look that says, “What’s the big deal?” And most of the time it’s not a big deal. She reminds us to be calm, sweet, and sensitive. Since ME started walking and talking she would randomly come up to me, put her arms around my legs and say, “Love you, Mama. Love you, Mama. Love you, Mama” over and over again until I reached down to hug and kiss her and tell her how much I love HER!
Truth be told, I never had a newborn with ME. She came out as a healthy 9 pound, 3 ounce baby (and I’m 5′ tall, so that says a lot), lifting her head, eating like a champ, and sleeping.
I feel like I know my oldest daughter well now that she’s almost five. But ME I’m still learning. Everyday she shows me something new about herself. I’m already learning that my parenting will have to be different with her. My disciplinarian tone and quick pace isn’t going to suit this girl well. My approach will have to be gentler, calmer, and more patient. With God’s equipping and lots of prayer I’ll get there.
How to Leave a Written Legacy
Every year on my girls’ birthdays I write them a letter. I call it my written legacy. In many ways my mom was a writer, and I’m confident that’s where my love for writing came from. Of course back then there weren’t blogs, but my mom always had a pen-pal (Remember those? One of her pen-pals lived in Australia!). I have stacks of letters she wrote me in college. She also left my brother and I completed memory books about herself and her life.
When my oldest, EG, was born I started writing my letters on the computer. But this past year I thought that I really want to handwrite them so that they can see my handwriting and hold something I held. There’s something about seeing my mom’s handwriting that I love.
So I bought two Moleskin journals, and I plan to rewrite the letters I’ve already written and then continue with writing my letters in the journals in years to come.
I don’t follow any type of outline when I write my letters, but I do include the Bible verses that were laid on my heart to pray over my girls throughout the year.
I also include characteristics about who they are at that age and stories about things they’ve done. And of course, I add some life lessons I hope will one day be helpful for them.
My hope is that one day my girls will have journals filled with words I wrote to them, and they will pass them down to their children.
We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
Psalm 78:4
One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.
Psalm 145:4
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Happy Birthday Sweet ME!!! And Happy Thursday to all of you!!!
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