morning with nora.

It's just me and my girl up early this morning.  My girl with a heart that is so big and a smile that is so sweet. 

She turned 5 but she doesn't understand how.  She can't comprehend how she went to bed 4 years old and woke up being 5.  And she told me that her legs got longer so she must be 6. 

She's just trying to figure life out.  And I hope I can help her to do that.

We are starting Kindergarten and dance class on the same day next week.  We start a little later than everyone else which I kind of like.  It gives me time to unwind and re-focus on the goals that I have for us this year. 

My goal for Nora's kindergarten year?  That she would find joy in learning the Word and that she would increase her reading so that she can read it when she has the desire {which I also pray is frequently!}

Sometimes I watch her and I am amazed at how fast she is growing yet how little she still looks.  What I love most of all is that other 5 and 6 year olds that come around seem so grown up.  And although she is smart, quick and intrigued--she is innocent, sweet and gentle.

There is something very precious about protecting their hearts, minds and spirits in a world that is corrupt.  There is something very unique about a young girl who asks her mommy to pray when we drive by a car accident or when she remembers that sometimes storms cause destruction that is unthinkable. 

Her mind is on Jesus. 

I treasure her.  I value her innocence and her desire to learn. 

I am compelled to teach her everything I know about the world and life but then I realize that as we go along, we are really just learning together.  In this big picture that is sometimes blurry and unexpected, there is one steady...

And my little girl already knows His name. 

She already knows.

On mornings like today when her {bigger} little body is laying on the couch and her red hair is matted and wild, I realize that these moments, here in the quiet, are the moments that are shaping her.

And me.

I am always amazed at her beauty and her curiosity.  I am amazed at how incredibly wise and smart she is.  I am amazed at her ability to make me smile and her love for everyone.

She is a girl after my own heart.

And we are in this together.