April 9

There was a picnic and Easter egg hunt after church today. As one of the 'older kids', Abby was assigned a 'little kid' to help during the hunt since the eggs contained candy and written instructions (eg, "jump up and down" or "sing 'Jesus Loves Me'" or "share this with someone who has fewer eggs than you"). After the dust settled, she wound up working with Zoe.

I watched them as they collected eggs and had two thoughts. Firstly, I was struck by how much Zoe reminds me of Abby at age 5. She has those ringlets down her back just like Abby did back then, and as it happens, after talking with her mom, I discovered that their birthdays are just a day apart. And secondly, I was struck by how grown-up my little girl really is. It's obvious physically, since she's just a few inches shorter than me and I'm not particularly short, but as I watched her, I realized that she's also mentally mature. I'm not sure when she did so much growing up, but she did it. And it's pretty amazing.

It's a blessing to watch the kids grow up, and it's not one I'll ever take for granted. Even as I mourn the oft too-fast passage of time, my soul will still sing a song of thanksgiving because I know what it's like to not watch a child grow up.