February 22

Sometimes, the best reminders of God's presence come in small packages, and those small packages are best-remembered on special days.

This is my adorable niece Brianna, who celebrated her fifth birthday today.

I don't see her, her bro or their parents, my older brother and his wife, very often, since they live back in Maryland and I'm not much of a cross-country traveler. I snagged the photo from my sister-in-law's Facebook page, in fact; I took one look at it and knew she was my winklet today! But they're all blessings to me, even if I don't say it often and even if the physical distance prevents us from being especially close.

Happy birthday, first and lone niece of mine. May God bless you bunches this year.