Sunday, May 2, 2010

My dearest God,

Gabrielle turns 10 today. My how the time has flown by. I remember when she was born. Her mother nearly bled to death, a botched birthing by a seemingly incompetent midwife. Thank you, dear God, that she was at a hospital rather than a birthing center.

My pinkie finger was Gabrielle's first pacifier. Her eyes were big as she sucked hard minutes after she was born. I wondered at the time if she knew how difficult her birth was for her mother.

Gabrielle is a treasure, dear God. She has a beautiful spirit, a good mind, and a relevant faith. She loves deeply and is very intuitive. She has promised to sit on her grandma's lap even when she is 30. I think she believes I will live forever.

She loves reading, absorbing stories about all kinds of things. In fact last night at Bob Evan's she and her favorite cousin Sophie coerced me into telling them stories about their mothers and aunt. They love to hear about their moms when they were girls their size and age. They got tickled and laughed when they heard the same stories over again.

This morning we will go to church together. I will remember her birth and give thanks. I will ponder some of her health struggles and how she overcame them. I will recall to mind some of the more difficult family issues she had to face; yet, she has found her own way through them. I will breathe prayers of thanksgiving for her ten years and all the years to come.

Dear God,
thank you
for the gift
of Gabrielle.
Thank you
for her life,
her spirit,
her faith,
her joy.
Bless her
this tenth year.
Continue to
shape her;
mould and
make her
a gem
with your spirit,
I pray.
May her
love grow,
her desire
to care
for others multiply,
her yearning
to learn
magnify many
times over
and her faith
expand in
infinite ways.

Love always, Andrea