looking back...

we went on a trip recently to AL to see Jamie's sister graduate from high school- this girl was in our wedding when she was 3 and now she's an adult. Time sure does fly by so fast. When you get up in the morning- the thought that time is flying by doesn't cross the mind. We all know it's true but it never really phases anyone until something like this graduation. What really made me realize is this school project that J had to do for Language Arts. She had to come up with one characteristic trait that best describes herself and come up with memories to share from way back to newborn... which meant I had to step in and help her look back. She had one week out of school to think about this trait to get her thoughts together to present. Her teacher suggested she reflect on the trait... honesty. YES- a good one for Jaima for she dislikes a dishonest person- big or small it is a NO NO to her. But, when we started to reflect back to the earlier years of her life- I couldn't come up with anything. In fact, I shared stories with her how she would lie her way out of getting into my lipstick and nail polish- knowing that it was obvious she was all into that stuff. She even lied that she didn't steal a bottle of bath bubbles from a store when I discovered it spilled in my car as we arrive home from the store where she threw a fit for me to buy the stuff. She even tried to convince me one time that she was not the one who wrote all over the wall with a pencil... need I remind you she was not a big sister yet. You get my point... to this day J is a honest person- my prayers are that she stays that way esp through her next 5 yrs but this trait wouldn't take her back in time. SO, the trait we came up with was adaptable. I would think this would be very appropiate for her considering this child is 12 and moved 10x's in 12 yrs from the south to the north, east to the west. A lot to adapt to for someone so young. While brainstorming for this autobiography- I found myself making a timeline of her last 12 yrs. And WOW... reality set in that God truly blessed us with an angel- oh the memories we've made. We started discussing and writing down the memories from the past of how she's had to adapt to her life changing for the last 12 yrs. This project was so much fun and very much needed for I feel like I put the past in the past and never look back. We find that living life one day at a time works well for our family b/c there has been unexpected change that would be hard to deal with if we had our hearts set on what we wanted to remain forever. I think that's what J has done with her life. If she had it her way- she would remain in one area but b/c she does adapt so well and knows in her heart that God leads her to new and better adventures in her life- she's able to be adaptable to change. We found ourself sitting up until 1 in the morning looking through 100's of photos in this box that I've never took the tape off of since a few moves ago. At first I thought was a weird project but wow- this was the best project ever. It made me realize that life shouldn't be taken for granted. God is good... love the ones your with... the past is something to treasure, the present is a gift, and the future is a dream.