Not Zero Anymore!

So . . . birthdays still seem to be a challenging thing for Nathan to grasp.  No matter what the birth certificate says, he declared today that it could not be Carleigh's real birthday because there was no cake.  (Hopefully that doesn't make me a bad mom since the cake is coming on Saturday -- a mere 3 days after the real day.)

Still, there was one thing of which he was confident.  She's not zero anymore!

It's amazing what all has been packed into her 12 months of being zero.   And even more amazing to think about what will be in the months ahead.

I wonder how many people often feel like big zeros.  I know I definitely have days when I look around and think that's about what I amount to.  Days when I get to the end and look around to see that I didn't manage to get the dishes washed, there are Cheerios scattered all over the kitchen floor, and so many other unfinished things that I wonder how we ever survived when I was working outside the home.  Days when I feel like I've lost patience with the kids much more often than I should have.  Days when I've taken David for granted.  And even more unfortunately I've taken God for granted.

So on this day when Carleigh is technically no longer zero, I will learn from her.  After all, being a zero is a great place to start learning and start being thankful for all the little things.  It's when you're in awe of everyone and everything.  When you laugh and squeal with delight without worrying that you're being too loud.  When it's OK to cry no matter who is watching.  When you put one foot in front of the other, take a few steps, fall down, and then get right back up and try again.  When people are by far more important than things.  And when you're always yourself because you don't know any other way to be.

I'm so glad God loves me and always sees the potential in zeros.