Evie on her 7th birthday.

Today is my niece’s 7th birthday.
I cried the first time I held her.
Postnatal hormones and all that.
But also, it seems like the One Who Made Us, made us from the same cloth.

She tells me she has regrets about a girl she didn’t spend enough time with when she was four.
But you probably learned from that, didn’t you? I say. You’ve got to learn to forgive yourself.
Just practice.
I know because these are lessons my own spirit needs.

Let’s chat some more, she says.
What did you want when you turned 7?
What was Selah’s birth like?
Is there anything you want to chat about right now, Aunt Sarah?
I just want to chat a little bit more.

My daughter calls her to join the fun in the pool.
Not yet. Evie has more questions.

I love her.
Her curiosity.
The way she feels so deeply.
The way if I give her a moment to settle, she’ll say something like, that just really bothered me.

I understand completely, Evie P.
I’m so glad I get to be your Aunt Sarah
So I can tell you,
You are a fantastic person to be.