“I’m sorry if I die tomorrow, ” her last words before bedtime.

Grace… my funny little middle child.  She hated clothing until she was three, but then she was given a dinosaur t-shirt, and for the next two years of life, this was all she wore.

She begins high school today.  For the first time in her life, she bought a blouse with floral and lace, and pretty jewelry and accessories.  What happened to that little girl with the dinosaur t-shirt?  I might cry.

She has always been funny, a little quirky, artistic, and incredibly musical.  Last night, she shared her fears the way Grace shares her fears, always with a little humor.

“Mom, what if someone throws me in a locker because I am a freshman?” (Then she giggled).

“Mom, what if someone puts me in a trash can and rolls me down the stairs?  I might die.  I am sorry if I die tomorrow.”  (Giggle giggle).

Yet, she is kind of is serious.  She knows that high school is a big change.  Grace has a beautiful innocence about her, but she isn’t naive.

I love her so much.  It’s hard for me to imagine her in a high school with all the stuff that high school kids talk about and do. Uggg!

My sweet Grace.

I went through this with Julia.  However, Julia is quite strong and slightly bull headed, and highly capable of sharing her opinion without any fear.  She has handled the difficulties of American high school just fine and has paved her own way. She is kind of like Star Trek or Braveheart, and she boldly goes. It’s true, and I love this about her.

Grace is different. She is milder. She is more like a beautiful wildflower that grows in a field, and though she stays firmly planted, the wind blows her around.

How will she do?  I pray she does well.

I am willing to let her go (maybe I am kicking and screaming inside just a little).  I want her to learn how to be a light in the darkness.  I pray that everything she has learned in life about faith, about what God has made her to be, about her beauty, about her talent…I pray it all shines bright.  Oh, how it scares me though.

That dinosaur shirt is still in some container packed away.  I have her memory book from preschool and her kindergarten stories and all the pictures to remind me of how life has been so sweet with her.  It seems to go by so fast though.

So, we send her off today for a new chapter, and my heart can barely take it.

“God, be her guide, be her rock, and her firm foundation.”

The years go by like stones under rushing water. (Needtobreath)

 BTW- for those who were wondering, we still don’t have a hamster. Grace might have changed her mind.   Like I said, she is a flower in the wind and the wind might be blowing in another direction…Stay tuned!