I'm Gonna Miss That Girl...

...when she grows up.

She's sitting in her room playing Littlest Pet Shop. She has saved her money to buy a new one. Popo bought her one instead. It's a little sea horse with a shell. How many 12 1/2 year olds do you know that sit in their room playing Littlest Pet Shop? She's got KLOVE on, the door open, and I can see her set-up when I walk by. Her room is clean, and her friend just called. I just want to cry because I know these days are fleeting. I will miss this little girl because in just a year or so, she will forever be gone. The young woman she is destined to become will replace the child. She may keep her Littlest Pets forever, and the child-like quality in her will always be somewhat there. But the little two-year-old who set out Fisher Price people and talked to them for hours is slowly slipping out of my hands. I hope when I am old and gray I will pass by that room and remember this moment. Laughter. Sunshine. Hope. Tears. Joy. Kindness. Graciousness. Helpfulness. All the things that embody that child. I hope and pray they will go with her into adulthood. She sure is a treasure.