We brought her home on a Monday afternoon in November.  Darrin kissed my forehead and headed off to basketball practice as I whispered, “See you in March.”

I sat down in a chair to feed her and listened to our 18 month old twins dump a box of Teddy Grahams on the kitchen floor.  Exhaustion convinced me this would keep them busy for a good fifteen minutes and maybe I could start supper even later now…so I didn’t get up.

My other babies started sleeping through the night at two months old.  This child and I would have nightly dinner dates for four months.

From the moment she could walk, she held a step stool under her arm in order to reach things she couldn’t (shouldn’t).

When she was three, she insisted on wearing her Christmas tree shirt to the Easter egg hunt.

At five, she had $17.00 to her name and she pleaded with me to buy clothes for the cats. There were so many reasons I said no to this idea…mainly because outdoor farm cats dressed in tutus or any clothes for that matter is weird. Not to mention, I couldn’t keep up with our own laundry let alone washing cat clothes!

Since she was eight, she has presented a strong case for putting up a horse barn in the front yard and I hide the hammer and nails just because she might try to put one up herself.

And now, ten Novembers after the first time I held her in my arms, I can look back through tears and laughter at all the ways God is shaping both of us.  I am so very proud of the beautiful and strong-willed young lady she has become.

My daughter, Maddie, has a huge heart.  She is determined in all that she does and I’m quite certain that someday she’ll be somebody’s boss. In the meantime, I work hard at keeping her from being mine.

Lord, thank you for this girl’s love for life.  Her joy is contagious and her laughter is, too.  May You bless her life and those around her, bringing her up to serve You with boldness and strength.