A Proud Moment

One week ago today, my youngest daughter Becca culminated from Fifth Grade. I was very proud of her, particularly when she received the President's Academic Achievement Award. Schoolwork does not come easily to Becca. Not that she isn't bright - when she finds something she's interested in, she dives deep. She devours books about dragons and cats (the "Warriors" series is her current favorite), and she can tell you all about them. She notices small details others often miss, which gives her the uncanny ability to find lost items (we call her, "Becca, the Finder of All Lost Things"). This is exactly the opposite of her father, who has the uncanny ability to misplace things with some regularity.

But if her schoolwork does not catch her interest, Becca struggles. But she always tries her best; she's a hard worker. And it meant so much to see her efforts pay off by winning the Award.

Next Fall, Becca will join our oldest daughter, Caelin, in Middle School. She may not make the trasition as smoothly as Caelin, who makes friends easily and is a good student. But seeing her Culminate last week, I know Becca will find her way.

It's hard to believe that at the end of Summer, Becca will turn 11 (Caelin will turn 13 in October; Ryan 10 at the end of February). Those of you with children can relate - it's like we have these little signposts in our lives, pointing to the fleeting nature of time. There are so many aphorisms that encourage us to enjoy every moment of every day: "Gather ye rosebuds, while ye may;" "Sieze the day!"; "You only live once!"; "Live in the moment." But, as true as these sayings may be, our signposts also point to the fact that, as Solomon says, "Life is a vapor." For me, particularly now, it is important to enjoy every moment, but also to keep an eye on Eternity. Jesus tells us, "Store up treasures for yourselves in Heaven, where rust does not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:20).

But for now, Becca is just starting the Endless Summer of a 10 year old. She has a cat book to keep her nose stuck in for the next few days, the pool to play in when it gets hot in the afternoon, and a playdate with her best friend set up for Thursday. She has, with hard work, achieved her goal and won a "bonus" prize. I'm very proud of her, and enjoy seeing her enjoy the "fruits of her labor." I suspect this feeling of pride and vicarious pleasure in my child is a faint echo of how our heavenly Father feels about us, and will feel about us when we join Him in His Kingdom forever.