Wondering and hoping

The future. I find myself thinking about the future a lot lately. Mainly b/c I look into my daughters eyes and know that time is going by so fast, it will never slow down. I do find myself worrying quite often b/c of things happening around here, bad things. I worry for her. But, what's most important is what is happening with her NOW. We have to teach her right, show her the way, and let her know that God is always with her. I can honestly say she loves the Lord. She is always talking about Him and she loves to pray for others. She has such a soft, soft heart.

Here's an awesome example: (this may seem silly to you, but if you would have seen her face....)
The other night, we had my niece, H. Ruthie totally adores H. She was very upset when she had to leave. Apparently H told Ruthie she would leave a note for her at our house. When we got home, I found the note. When I showed it to Ruthie, she teared up and said, "H didn't forget to leave me a note!" Se was so excited, she just cried. It made me cry. A simple note made her night. She loves to be loved!

I often find myself wondering what will our relationship be like. Will she trust me as a teenager? Will she keep secrets from me? Will she talk bad about me, and not want to be near me? Will she still love hugs in front of her friends? Will she want to be with me?

I find this age hard right now b/c she isn't sure if she wants to be grown-up, or if she wants to be a baby. It's hard. I hate admitting it, but it's rough. But, I know that in order to have a great relationship with my daughter, I have to understand this age.

What I mean is I really want a good relationship with Ruthie. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the world today, and not spend that quality time with your children. I worry that I will let other things get in the way. I just pray that she will lean on me through everything. That's what I meant.

I realize this is an odd post, but it's weighing on my mind. I love Ruthie so much. I know Randy is growing up fast too, but it's harder on me to watch Ruthie. She's my baby, and always will be. I adore her.

So, for this loooooonnnnngggg post, I added some of my most recent favorite pics of my sweet, precious, baby girl.