Happy Birthday Sydney

  • By Trish Berg
  • July 24, 2012
  • 401
                        
Struggling with loads of laundry, clutter in the kitchen and chaos in your life? Stress can easily steal our joy. Trish Berg reminds us to simplify the small stuff and find Joy in the Journey. How can you be fifteen years old? I can hardly imagine where the years have gone. It seems like yesterday you were this chubby-faced baby with blue eyes and so much black hair it look like a toupee on top of your head. So much has happened in the last fifteen years, in your life and in our family, and I have been blessed to sit ringside as you have grown up into this amazing young lady full of joy, compassion and character. When your dad and I brought you home from the hospital, we were so shocked when you slept through the night. You were content all the time, and hardly cried. You smiled a lot, and loved to lie on a blanket and kick your feet around. Miss Independent, for sure. We wanted to hold you close and snuggle, and you fussed until we would lay you by yourself on the blanket so you could do what you wanted to do. We learned to let go, maybe just a little bit, and let you be where you wanted to be. When we sent you to preschool, I worried that you would not make friends very easily because you loved playing by yourself. I watched you go from station to station content as could be to play pretend by yourself with the dolls or trains, or whatever was there. Kids would toddle over and ask you to play with them, and you would smile and say no, and just keep on playing on your own. I learned to let go of who I thought you should be, maybe just a little bit, and let you be what God created you to be. When you played t-ball, you sat in the dirt infield and played in your “giant sandbox” instead of watching for or fielding any hits that came your way. You did love running the bases, and as always, you smiled this amazing smile under your baseball cap. You played basketball in UpwardBounds for a few years, but you were just too nice to your opponent, making way for them when they had the ball instead of playing defense. We learned to let go of what we thought you should do, maybe just a little bit, and let you do what you loved doing. And so today you are fifteen years old, and your dark hair and blue eyes still take my breath away. You are this amazing teenager who loves her family, her friends, running cross country, track and twirling baton. You have done things I have never been able to do and accomplished more than I could have dreamed of. You teach me every day about love, kindness, patience and forgiveness, and I am sure I learn more from you than I could ever have taught you. Maybe that’s the point. I may not know what the next fifteen years hold for you, but I am so blessed to be able to sit ringside and watch you continue to walk where God leads you on the path of your life. And I promise to let go, maybe just a little bit, and let you be who you are meant to be. Happy Birthday, Sydney!


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