Happy 22nd Birthday Savannah!!!

I cannot believe I became a mother 22 years ago today! I had NO idea what I was in for. She came in the middle of the night. I was amazed that a new human being had appeared. BAck in the day, they took the babies away to bathe them, etc. We could not stand for her to go alone, so Michael followed them and pressed his face against the nursery glass until they broke protocol and invited him in to bathe her himself. The nurse took it upon herself to come tell me she had never seen such a doting first time dad.

From then until now we have done so much together. Even now I amazed at the way she can see order in chaos, and beauty in the simple things. She is gifted musically( I cannot stay on my own notes), she is artistic and crafty(I have not the patience), and can organize anything. Needless to say, She did not learn much of this from me.

We are in fervent prayer for her future right now. She has finished her college requirements to graduate, but now what? She is in the process of applying for graduate school at Savannah college of Art and Design, but is not sure she will be accepted. And if she is, how will she pay for it? Should she go for the spring quarter or wait to begin in the summer(or fall)? In the meantime, she applied at the local paper, but they have not called her. Out of nowhere, I got a mass email from Nancy Campbell(publisher of "Above Rubies") saying she was desparate for help from a few young ladies who had finished their schooling. Is it a word from God? It does not pay, so even if she does that and then goes to grad school, shouldn't she just stay here and work as a waitress at Golden corral to raise living expenses? OR would it look better on a resume to have interned at a magazine? But then she would be away from us and leave again to go off to school. If she waits and does not help, but works at the restaurant, what happens if she does not get accepted? Michael says we should offer to pay her the money she would make so she can go(!). Hmm.

Having just come off her amazing trip to Australia, nothing can compare. I love that I can trust her to do what I would do with her brothers and sisters. Even going back to what I did with her, things I have gotten out of the habit of doing, like singing nursery rhymes with the kids. This morning we were all stumped for half an hour singing the end of a nursery rhyme, even scrambling around looking for a book of nursery rhymes before I rembered that the first line was "Sing a song of sixpence!" We had the rest already, isn't that silly?

I love that she is encouraging ME to look for a Beth Moore Bible study we can do together, and that she shows up for Bible study each morning with the other schoolage and younger siblings even though she really is not required to that. She is a prayer warrior and remembers the little details that are so important.

I love that she does not mind(much) looking very similar to how I looked 20+ years ago. Even looking YEARS younger than her age, much like I did(do? haha). I must say I think it is funny that she does not want her hair braided still because I apparently traumatized her by "practicing" on her so many times when she was little.

I love how she always insists on being healthy, but does not go overboard and turn vegan or something. It is a good reminder to include veggies and fruit. I am pretty good about it, but she is more attentive as to how often we have fresh stuff, etc.

I love how she volunteers to take the kids to do fun things, and thinks of ways to make things fun, like when she held "space night" for them when she was in high school and it included specialized food, several games, role playing and moonwalking, as well as looking at the moon through a telescope. BTW, she also videotaped the whole thing, so though we missed it because we were out on a date, we got to see it. Even our date was orchestrated, at the restaurant, the piano player had been given sheet music to play just for us, and the hostess brought out a floral arrangement she had delivered earlier.

I would go on, but there is getting to be fierce competition for this computer, and I want to include a picture!

Happy Birthday, Savannah, I love you!