Today Grace turned 6. How to sum up the most amazing, fun, humbling 6 years ever? Grace is just a dream! She is such a lady, and yet can keep up with any boy. She is the definition of hilarious and spunky and yet she is very thoughtful and reflective and wise beyond her years. I remember very vividly when I found out JR and I were expecting a girl...I hit my knees that night and pleaded with the Lord to make sure she would be a strong enough for this world. It is not an easy world. I think that Grace already holds enough strength to conquer the world, and yet she's so tender that she can reach into the most fragile of lives and make them better. At dinner our family talked about our favorite things about Grace. Among them were: her shining eyes, her fabulous giggle, her sense of humor, her intellect, her honesty no matter the circumstance, her bravery, and her ability to be joyful no matter what. Today was a testament to Grace's joyfulness. Grace woke up at about 5:30 crying...her chemo effects had kicked in hard. She was in a great amount of pain and she also had a raging sore throat. She told us she wanted to cancel her birthday plans, and she couldn't eat her birthday cake (of course she did end up eating a bit tonight). Today, all she wanted to do was rest, or play quietly with her new toys. But, even when she felt the worst, she tried so hard to be happy and to enjoy life. You could see on her face how much she was trying to make it a good day, not just for herself, but for everyone. Happy birthday Grace. I'm sure it wasn't an ideal situation for a little child, but you always make a day worth living.
