Flash turns four

I've never been good at birthdays. I don't really enjoy my own birthday. Big E. isn't big on birthdays. So, I've struggled with the celebration of my kids' birthdays. It seemed like a funnish obligation, but not a tidal fount of joy.

Thanks to a book I've been reading with the incredible women who have journeyed with me in bible study, I've turned a 180.

Now I get that this is a chance to celebrate the unbelievable gift of their lives, the treasure Big E. and I have been sent to steward for as much time as God has allotted them to us. I pray these children will be with me for my lifetime, but I'm keenly aware that the number of their days and the course of their journey is determined by Him, no matter how much control over that I'd like to have. Each day is a gift (though that can be hard to remember at 5:15pm). And each birthday is a chance to give thanks for our multitude of blessings, to remember that moment when I first saw each child, and a tidal fount of joy for how far we've come together already.

That said, over the next few days, I'll be posting photos of the journey we've had with Flash.

My best description of him?
A tender heart, a steady temperament and spirit that flashes at injustice.

Here's the first year.