July 6th.
July 6th was the last time I sat down to write.
And before then, it was March 26th.
It’s not for lack of feelings, or lack of words, or lack of motivation, or lack of desire.
It’s for lack of faith in myself.
You see, writing is important to me, and I know it is important to me because every time I want to do it, the enemy tells me not to. That’s how you know what you’re doing is good – good for you or good for others or both. The enemy doesn’t want good and will try to stop you every. single. time.
But today, I am powering through, because today is a special day. Today, my Charlotte is 7 years old.
This child – so unique in our family, not only in her looks but in her personality. It is truly amazing when you have 4, soon to be 5 children, all born from the same parents, and they can all have such individuality.
On the surface, Charlotte is quiet. She doesn’t fight for attention. She finds her own way of receiving it, whether it be sneaking in extra snuggles by repeatedly coming out of her bedroom at night, or mysteriously hopping onto the counter while I prepare dinner, or somehow always negotiating an extra story, even when the parents are exhausted and half asleep already.
She just has a way.
She’s unassuming, but she’s brilliant. She has an affinity for math and numbers. She likes to make lists. She likes to know “how many days until.”
She’s dainty, but she’s strong. It’s hard to imagine that the little fairy legs she has now were once disguised in pudgy leg rolls. She likes to run, and she’s fast.
She’s polite, but she’s funny. She has a quirky sense of humor. She speaks in funny voices and keeps us all laughing.
She’s soon going to be the 2nd born of 5, which doesn’t exactly make her “the middle,” but it seems she will always have that title. It’s fitting though — all the good stuff in life you can find in the middle. The cream in the Oreo. The PB&J in the sandwich. The pages in the book.
Today may be Charlotte’s birthday, but God gives us the gift of life each morning we wake up.
It feels like my birthday, too.
