Happy Birthday April

God knew what He was doing when He sent my daughter April to me in the springtime.  She is light, sunshine, and joy.

April loves to make friends. 
When she was a toddler she would stand on our front yard and wait for someone to walk by.  Then she would race up to them and say, "Hi!  I'm April.  Do you want to be my friend?"

April is a free spirit.
When she was a preschooler I saw her prancing down the hall naked after her bath.  She said, "Oh Mommy, I feel like one of those wild horses!"

April can see the best in everyone.
When she was young I was holding her hand while we walked on a sidewalk downtown.  A scarey looking homeless man approached us.  April let go of my hand and ran over to the man.  Then she looked up at him and said, "Oh Mommy, look!  It's Jesus!"

Now April has grown up.  She still has a way of seeing the best in everyone.  She still loves to make friends.   She is still a free spirit. 

Sometimes when I look at her I see the tiny premature infant that introduced me to motherhood. 

Sometimes when I look at her I see the loving, compassionate woman she has become as she cares for four sons and a busy husband.

Sometimes when she is pulling away from my driveway in her van I see her as a toddler running through a field - her hands are bulging with a rainbow of wildflowers just before she suddenly stops to kneel and pray, "Oh thank you Heavenly Father."

Now I am the grandmother who kneels to say, "Oh thank you Heavenly Father for the gift of April."


HAPPY BIRTHDAY APRIL.  What a joy it is to be your mother.