Seriously...Can She Really Be 17??!!!
She didn't know it, but the other night I snuck in to her room and watched her sleep. I knelt beside her bed and thanked my Heavenly Father for giving me the gift of being her mother. I thought about her adoption, how she came to inhabit a gigantic piece of my heart. I thanked Him for making her resiliant, beautiful, strong, and funny. I thanked Him for all of the times He has reminded me to be grateful for a daughter when she steals my makeup, borrows my hair ties, or gives me grief. :) And then I asked Him to gently slow down time...it's going too fast and pretty soon she'll be a graduating from high school, off on a mission, college, married, kids...AHHHH!
As I got up from the side of her bed, I looked at her beautiful face one more time. My heart just about burst because even though time is moving quickly and there won't be many more times for me to sneak in beside her bed and pray, I was reminded that we have an eternal family that is not bound by earthly time. No matter where life will take her (and it will be full of great and wonderful things!), we will be connected for eternity. Tonight, as we celebrate Brialee Alice Barrus' SEVENTEENTH year on this planet, I am thankful that my Heavenly Father gave me the gift of being her mom. I couldn't have asked for a better daughter. We love you sugar bean...to the moon and back again. Happy Birthday!
