A Ray

January usually finds me aching for the outside air in my lungs and warm sunshine on my face turning my heart from grey to bright. With weather forecasts like much of the rest of the northern states (overcast and windy, chance of rain, chance of snow/rain mix and partly cloudy) it's no wonder.

This year my daughter's personality is blooming from baby and toddler to Miss Totally Independent and she is our very own glimpse of sunshine. A single ray of all that is happiness, tea, princesses, baby dolls, spinning, giggles, skipping and every abiding love.

"Mommy, give me a big squeeze" she'll say "me miss you so much today." Drinking in every last drop of the liquid gold squeezie hugs I push the questioning thought out of my head, 'when did you have time to miss me? When I was in the shower?'

She's won the heart of many a bigger girl at church, even on New Year's Eve some of them played with her until midnight bless their hearts. A few days ago little girl at the park (my son's age) latched onto her and kept trying to get her to go down the tunnel slide. (My little sunshine doesn't particularly like the tunnel slide yet.) This little girl was offering everything she could think of, "I'll push you in the swings/ you can sit on my lap..." but my little girl wasn't swayed by the pressure of this big girl. Not to mention her big brother (who was slightly perturbed that the girl wasn't playing with him) used this as his opportunity to defend his smaller and younger sunbeam as well as join into the playing.

This journey of life for my daughter is still new and I pray that she holds onto this gift. It is easy to let life snuff out the daylight and I hope that God will foster this gift in her and she will hold onto it. This gift of putting people at ease, holding them close and shining love on them. It is something I treasure about her daily and am grateful for her heart that is so much bigger than she.

Encore, encore.  One of her favorite things to say as we are getting ready to go is, "Me never get cold. No, me not need gloves, me never get cold."  Perhaps, it is true.