to Him Who is able

Watching you grow up has been a joy. I love your smile, your laugh, your snuggles, your eyes, your sweet "I love you's", your bed head, your crazy antics, your energy, your wit, the conversations we carry on late at night in the kitchen... I love you, now and forever. And I wish you would stay this little forever. I wish time would pause, and you would be 4 and 1/2 for the rest of time. I want to be able to keep you from all the darkness this world offers, I want to shelter you from hatred and hurt, I want to shield your innocent eyes from the filth of sin that consumes this world.   I want to protect you from the unattainable standards this culture puts on us to be "perfect".  I want you to only see and hear the good things. I want you to dream big and not be afraid to try new things. I want you to be confident and bold about who you are. I want you to be kind and loving, and I want people to be kind and loving towards you. I don't want you...

One day last week I was driving down the road in our big white van with the windows down and the radio up. The AC in our van is confusing...sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't. When I got in the van that day I assumed the AC wasn't going to work so I opened the windows in hopes of getting some kind of relief from the sweltering heat that July in Tennessee brings. Did it work? I guess the air blowing hard in my face brought some sort of "coolness" but it was still fairly warm and far from what I would prefer. I endured, though, because I figured it couldn't get any better so I might as well enjoy the small bit of relief while I had it. After a few stops and lots of inward complaints about the heat and how unbearable it was getting, I got a phone call and had to close the windows in order to hear whoever was on the other line. When I hung up and was about to roll the windows down again I paused at the wonderful feeling of nice, cool air flowing from...

First off, you are beautiful. I am in awe of the Lord's creation when I look at your faces, your eyes, your hair and most of all your smile. I find myself staring at you and wondering "How in the world did I get blessed with such gorgeous little sisters?" I hear your laughs and I can't help but join in, I listen to you sing and can't keep myself from getting chills all through my body. I adore introducing you to people and being able to say: "These are MY sisters."  You have become my best friends, and I have the most fun when I am with y'all. I will treasure all of the memories we have made and look forward to the many more we will make, Lord willing.  I am thankful for you girls. I love you more than words could ever express. It has been a beautiful thing for me to witness the Lord's work in your lives. Seeing you study His word, writing it on your hearts, has been been an encouragement to me more than you will ever know. Hea...