Dear Rosie,
Happy Birthday, sweet girl.
As I write you are sleeping in your bed. Visions of horses and ballet classes dance in your head. You have a little spaghetti sauce dried in your hair and your fingernails are painted purple with white butterflies. Oh, Rosie, and now we are 4. What a year you have had. Like most of your childhood, you've learned, grown and experienced so much. Preschool is one of the big ones that stands out to me. You confidently marched into that classroom in September and you never looked back. You adored your teachers, made lots of new friends, learned to share, came home with plenty of finger paintings, expressed your feelings in new ways, and collapsed at naps most school days with sand in your hair. Boy, it was a good year.
You've learned lots of other amazing things while you were 3. You've learned to swim this year, and it's a joy to watch you. If I could approach new challenges with as much grace and gusto as you have with swimming, I'd be a much better person. I admire your determination. Recently, I've seen you approach the monkey bars with that same spark in your eye, and something tells me you'll be flying across them, hand over hand, in no time.
You still love books, which is fun, because I do too. You love to play hard, find adventures, sing and dance (improve is your favorite), you love talking and, yes, being the center of attention. YOU are a star, Rosie.
You're a great big sister. Sometimes sharing life with a sibling is hard, but you are (mostly) kind and gentle with Sadie. You like to dress her up as your fairy assistant, or assign her small parts in your "peeformances" such as Toto or Michael (from Peter Pan).
When we go places, you love to hold Sadie's hand.
You're an amazing helper. You love to help me in the kitchen or in the garden, you help Daddy make the morning coffee, you've taken on new chores like feeding Wrigley and getting the paper, you help clean up when playtime is over, and you'd love to help me drive, if I'd let you.
We adore you, Rosie. 3 has been a good year. My prayer is that you'll learn to know how much God loves you and how much he has in store for you. You have so much to give to the world, and I know God is going to use you in amazing ways. You have a keen eye to the beauty around you and I know that you'll recognize God's good gifts in your life. You have so many that surround you that think you're practically perfect in every way.... mainly your misty eyed mama typing you this letter :)
Anne Voskamp wrote a prayer for her daughter. I pray this for you, Rosie.
God, clothe this girl in a gown of grace
Grace, the only dress that makes beautiful,
the style of Your spirit.
Nourish her on the comfort food of the Word,
Word, that makes her crave more of christ,
have hunger pangs for Him.
Enclose her in communion with You
You, Love who makes her love, who fold her heart into a roof
that absorbs storms for souls,
that makes her tongue speak the words that make souls stronger.
May her vocation in this world simply be translation
Translating every enemy into esteemed guest
Translating every countenance into the face of Christ
Translating every burden into blessing
When it's hard to be patient, make her willing to suffer.
When it’s ridiculous to be thankful … make her see all is grace
When it's radical to forgive … make her live the foundations of our faith
And when it’s time to work… make her a holy wonder. May she be bread and feed many with her life and her laughter
May she be thread and mend brokeness and knit hearts
We love you to the moon and back, Mommy and Daddy and little Sadie, too
