There aren't too many birthdays I mention here on my blog. Usually because I forget to blog about them. For this person, though, I can't actually celebrate with her in person. See, 8 years ago, I decided to sponsor a little girl. At that point in my life a relationship had just ended and with it, I knew, my chances of ever giving birth to a daughter. My life was in a much different place than it is now and while it was true that I would never give birth to a daughter, my chances for that ended long before that relationship. It ended before I was created, actually. If God intended for me to have a daughter by birth, I would have a daughter.
With the realization that I would never have a daughter the "conventional" way and I was very single at the time, I decided to sponsor a little girl. On a Saturday afternoon in March, I sat down at http://www.compassion.com/, clicked on "Sponsor A Child" and started looking at pictures. After a few minutes of that, I typed a few parameters in their "Search for a Child" box and very quickly I was looking at one of the sweetest little faces I had ever seen. Gabrialle was 5 at the time. She had thick, black hair and a beautiful face that reminded me so much of my niece (who is just a week younger). I knew she was the one for me. Her birthday is the day before mine and her face... her face held such promise yet had the same expression so many children waiting for sponsorship have. Lost resignation, for lack of a better term. I could not let that little face go.
I have not had the honor of meeting Gabrialle face to face as yet. She writes to me now and it is fun to watch her handwriting "grow" with her. It's fun to read as she begins to expand just a little bit on what is going on in her life. It is fun to know that half a world a way a few dollars God allows me to give goes such a long way in giving this little girl a reason to smile. And smile she does. Pictures I receive each year show that. They also show a little girl growing into a young woman. She turns 13 today. Happy Birthday, Gabrialle. May it be a wonderful, blessed day full of laughter and may you know you are loved. Loved like a daughter. I don't think I could love you more if I had given birth to you myself. You remind me there is joy in the simplest and smallest of things. You have taught me, from so far away, what it means to be gracious and grateful without being superficial.
With the realization that I would never have a daughter the "conventional" way and I was very single at the time, I decided to sponsor a little girl. On a Saturday afternoon in March, I sat down at http://www.compassion.com/, clicked on "Sponsor A Child" and started looking at pictures. After a few minutes of that, I typed a few parameters in their "Search for a Child" box and very quickly I was looking at one of the sweetest little faces I had ever seen. Gabrialle was 5 at the time. She had thick, black hair and a beautiful face that reminded me so much of my niece (who is just a week younger). I knew she was the one for me. Her birthday is the day before mine and her face... her face held such promise yet had the same expression so many children waiting for sponsorship have. Lost resignation, for lack of a better term. I could not let that little face go.
I have not had the honor of meeting Gabrialle face to face as yet. She writes to me now and it is fun to watch her handwriting "grow" with her. It's fun to read as she begins to expand just a little bit on what is going on in her life. It is fun to know that half a world a way a few dollars God allows me to give goes such a long way in giving this little girl a reason to smile. And smile she does. Pictures I receive each year show that. They also show a little girl growing into a young woman. She turns 13 today. Happy Birthday, Gabrialle. May it be a wonderful, blessed day full of laughter and may you know you are loved. Loved like a daughter. I don't think I could love you more if I had given birth to you myself. You remind me there is joy in the simplest and smallest of things. You have taught me, from so far away, what it means to be gracious and grateful without being superficial.
May your 13th year be filled with adventure and promise and a deeper knowledge of God's love for you. May you never forget that He knit you in your mother's womb, that He ordained your days before time began and that He loves you more than everyone on earth combined could love you. Continue to grow in His light, shine as His child. And how I pray that God answers my prayers and brings us together, in person, some day soon...
Happy Birthday, Gabrialle.
During that first year so many people told us to leave the yard alone for a year (beyond pulling weeds and mowing the grass, that is) to see what we had. So for that first summer we did nothing. Then, that January we found out our drainfield had failed and so our entire focus centered of saving our house. We didn't care too much about the yard. When we went to work (after months of planning, permitting, health department inspections...) on the drainfield, they dug four long trenches into our backyard - basically gutted it. Gardening was far from our minds.
Last year we focused on the backyard, knowing the front yard needed help but not quite sure what and how. Another winter has passed and here we are...April. A front yard that cries out for attention and me with absolutely no clue what to do first. The grass has been overtaken by moss, we have dandelions big enough to be considered islands (all they need is a moat and some water) and just...a mess. I'm not even sure where to begin. I've never been much of a green thumb so I've never taken the time to learn too much about plants and gardening and lawns and such. Here we are, with this disaster and no plan of attack. I have jokingly said we should just dig it all up, plant new grass and call it good. Aaron always gives me this look. Truth is, it was so lovingly planted so many years ago, I cringe at the thought of losing it all.
