To My Almost 10 Year Old

Oh Claire. You have been on this earth for a decade, and though it feels like just a breath, I also cannot remember life without you.

How could I describe you? Beautiful. Determined. Competitive. Iron-willed, yet more sensitive to people's shifting moods than perhaps even I am. Capable. Noble.

You stay up all hours of the night playing basketball, reading, or listening to Adventures in Odyssey, but still you pop out of bed in the morning like the energizer bunny. You are the first to sit down and start your school work because you love the thrill of being done. You are becoming more independent and driven in school.

In fact you are maturing in so many areas this fourth-grade year. Daddy and I have both noticed it - from the way you handle arguments to the way you take ownership of your work. You are 100% committed to whatever you choose to do. You are growing in grace and it is beyond a privilege for us to be able to witness.

You continue to excel in sports. You have a weekly workout plan that you and your Dad made up together, and just last week you deadlifted 95 pounds.You have played softball, soccer, basketball, and tennis this past year, and your coaches have all commented on how teachable you are. That is worth more than gold, Claire-bear.

Your favorite things include dance, drawing, Adventures in Odyssey, and spending time with your friends. You are a caretaker and a warrior against injustice. You love to be let loose in the kitchen to experiment with baking. As far as reading, you prefer the classics, like Oliver Twist or Anne of Green Gables. You are still learning piano and violin, you sing or hum constantly, and you have even starting making up some of your own songs in the past year.

I had a conversation with you recently about money. You were telling me that you had a lot of money but that you weren't really saving up for anything in particular right now, and it was kind of hard to have no big goals for saving. But then you decided that in the past when you have saved up for different things, by the time you had enough money you had kind of moved past the goal and didn't really want that particular thing anymore. "Like when I wanted that big hatchimal," you said. "I saved and saved but by the time I had enough I realized it was just an overpriced piece of plastic."

The other night I had to go help Daddy unpack something at the clinic. When I walked back into the house, you had Owen and AK in their pj's and gathered into your room, and you were praying with them and leading them in a devotional. It was one of those sweet moments between the chaos. Then later you told me that you planned to have a lesson with AK and Owen every day. "We'll read a Bible story and pray together," you said, "and then I'll give them each an analytical task sheet with two or three assignments to complete." I can't even.

Claire-bear, you just bring so much life and joy and thoughtfulness to our lives. I love listening to all your thoughts, watching you grow in wisdom, seeing the fruits of the Spirit growing in your life. I've never been the mom of an almost-ten-year-old before, and I'd rather learn how to do this with you than anyone else.

Happy birthday, my sweet almost-ten-year-old!!!