That beautiful kid turned eight today. Eight. It is extremely hard for me to believe time has gone by this rapidly.
Eight years. 96 months. 2920 days. 70,080 hours. And they all went by like a blip on the screen.
In my brain, she’s still the age of my son…a little two year old just learning to talk and run and play. Crawling up into daddy’s lap to eat a snack or read a story. Now she’s reading her own stories. Now she’s raiding the pantry on her own, munching and crunching me out of house and home to keep up with her seemingly overnight growth rate.
I fear I’ll be teaching her to drive far quicker than I want to admit. And having those conversations that father’s everywhere fear…the ones with the “b” word…b…bb….bbb…boys…
Good grief. Where does the time go, y’all?
But you know what else I see? When I look at that kid and think back to the years before we knew we were expecting this little bundle of joy…the years of wondering if we’d ever have a child…the years of praying for a child, expecting a child, and then the crushing feeling in your chest when things don’t go as planned…
And then the fulfillment of hope…the joy of holding that baby in your arms…the tears of happiness and absolute joy in which all the painful days and nights are eased (not forgotten, but eased).
Then the prayers shift. Instead of the prayers in hope of a child, you transition to prayers FOR THE child…the one you hold in your arms and rock to sleep. The one who begins to change on a daily basis, to grow and become their own little person. Prayers that she’ll love the Lord with all her heart, soul, mind and strength. Prayers that she’ll become the woman God calls her to be. Prayers that she’ll walk with the Lord all her days.
Prayers for her future…way future…way way way future husband…all these these slight and nearly imperceptible changes that are only noticed in the full light of hindsight.
And it’s only been eight years. But those eight years are reminders, ebenezers, of God’s faithfulness. Of promises fulfilled……of prayers answered.
So happy birthday my not-so- little girl…your dad loves you more than any words on a screen could ever say…and I pray for you always.
The Wading Pool 