For my daughter's sixth grade graduation, I started working on a scrapbook for her, a scrapbook of school days that began in preschool. Nostalgia took over for a little while each day as I worked on the pages. Where did my little girl go? You know her...she's the one with blonde curls, dark brown sparkling eyes, chipmunk cheeks, and a contagious giggle. She can rock in a chair--one that's not even a rocking chair--for hours and suck on her two fingers with a contentment I almost envy. She knows her ABCs...wait, I blinked...she knows how to read...oops, I blinked again...she has disappeared with a good book...hold it! I blinked one more time, and she's racing her friends to read a whole series of books first.
She's loyal to her friends, almost to a fault, and has a passion for Jesus. She loves to learn and loves all of her teachers. In fourth grade, she became a full-blown drama queen, and she still loves to make people laugh.
A tough couple of years followed. Like sandpaper smoothing out wood, it is often through difficulty that character is developed. It wasn't always graceful, but she perservered with determination and dignity. Her reward was a maturity and sense of leadership that made her teachers and even her principal stand up and take notice. She was also rewarded with a fantastic sixth grade year that brought more chatter, smiles, and happy days than she will possibly be able to fit in her memory brain box.
She's still a drama queen who hasn't fully learned the art of when it's time to quit. She has crushes, but thinks kissing too long is gross. She is on the edge of girlhood ready to leap into teen-hood but still a little uncertain. She could never give up her Webkinz or any other stuffed animal she owns, but she also loves Hannah Montana and wants her own cell phone. She watches American Idol faithfully while flipping back to Zack and Cody on the Disney channel.
She heads off to junior high this fall with excitement, anticipation, and nervousness. I miss my little girl terribly, but oh, how I love this blossoming young lady!
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