my tween

It seems that somehow, overnight, my oldest has gone from being a little girl to a tween. I don't really like that word because of all it's negative connotations, but what else can you call it? She not really a little girl and thankfully not yet a teenager.... she's in between. And what a beautiful place that is turning out to be.

Not the eye rolling, foot stomping, too-big-for my britches attitude that you usually think of when you hear her age. But the older, wiser, "can I help you Mom?" kind of attitude that assures my heart.

Today, she slept in until nearly 10am. My girl, who has been up with the chickens since birth, suddenly delights in sleeping. And she got her braces off yesterday. What a beautiful smile she has. And today, when we rolled out the summer right of passage, the slip-n-slide.... I walked outside to find her siblings splashing tirelessly. She was laying on her towel on the deck. How does she even know about sunbathing?

Of course, a few minutes later she was splashing with the best of them. But just for a moment... she was a little bit beyond that sort of fun. I see it happening slowing and quickly altogether. She is growing up.

I know that soon hormones will rage and eyes will roll and feet will occasionally stomp. But then she will laugh or help her brother or cook dinner and I will smile. I will still hear her pray and know her heart and lift her up, knowing her Father will sustain her the same at 16 as He did at six. I pray that the temptations will not be too much and that her heart will always be at Home.

She's always been the one to sharpen me, as iron sharpens iron. I have no doubt the coming years will be no different. But I will hold each day as a treasure. Whether she be big or little... or somewhere in between.