As I stumbled back upstairs from letting the dog out deep in the middle of the night, I noted the time:
2:20 AM
So 17 years ago, at 2:20 AM, we had our Amelia Jane.
I stopped in my semi-asleep stupor and thought back to that morning all those years ago and had to marvel at how far we’d come. She was (at that time) who we thought would be the completion of our family. Three girls. Just enough space in our car and our house.
But God had another plan with the number of kids, the size of our house and our car.
However, God did not have anything but a perfect plan for our sweet girl. Amelia was born as a sunshiny, easygoing baby, grew into an extremely entertaining and precocious toddler, and has continued to bring love and light to our family, cracking jokes in perfect timing, making us think differently, see the world in a different way, enjoy small things, always stop for an iced coffee.
As she has grown up, we have watched her forger her own path. This is not without great challenges at times, but she generally figures it out on her own (with some guidance and advice from us, when solicited).
Moving from 16 to 17 feels bigger this year. We’re moving into the lasts as she moves into the last year of high school, potentially the last year in our house full time. I have done this before with our two older girls, celebrating and mourning these lasts, living in the present while thinking about the future. Amelia, however, feels like the end of something. She’s the end of the “big kids” line. She’s the last basement dweller. She’s the last of the top three Webel girls. It just feels a little harder this time around.
But, with all things, I am putting her future in her hands and praying for her decisions alongside her. I know she was made for bigger and better things, with her tender heart leading the way and caring for others always first. That will carry her far, no matter what unfolds in the big decisions next year.
Dearest Millie Jane,
You are my sunshine. You always have been. Your tender heart for others, kindness, and goodness are unmatched. Even though you’re not the end of the “kid line,” you truly complete our family, bringing balance to the force around all of us.
Stay true to that. Even when life feels confusing or hard or strange. Keep seeing the world the way you always have but know that your value and worth is found inside you, the way God made you.
We love you now as much as we did when we first knew we were to have you, saw you early in the morning on June 10th, and marvel in who you’re growing to be.
Happy birthdays to you, Amelia Jane.
Love,
Mom