The strong willed girl

One of my favorite bloggers and I wish we could be friends in real life is Angie Smith. I started reading her blog the day her daughter Audrey was born, and died. I had a 2 month old baby girl who I was struggling to love for fear she'd be taken away. Maybe it was normal new mom anxiety, but I am certain it was also complicated by having had a pregnancy loss before Georgia and not having been able to really to confess my fears to God and have Him soothe me.

But in His faithfulness, He used another mom to show me the way. As I read Angie's words about Audrey and to Audrey, I knew that if Angie could love Audrey so much, so deeply knowing she was going to be born and die, that Angie was going to have her and then lose her, then I shouldn't let my fear stop me from falling in love with my own precious, healthy, dark haired beauty, who in all likelihood, wasn't going anywhere.

So I did. From that day on, I felt like my love was loosened and overwhelmed me so much I had to pour it out on my daughter.

And after falling in love with Angie for all that, I fell in love all the more for her honesty and sincereity about parenting her older daughter, Kate.

I think her Kate would run laps around my Georgia, but they might have more in common than not. Angie's stories of Kate's escapades make me laugh and cry. Strong-willed girls will do that to you!

A few weeks ago she wrote about Kate and her words brought tears to my eyes. She said, "She is not an easy child to parent, but she is incredible. Every night I just pray I will know how to love her without breaking her will and her heart while I try to help shape her into a Godly woman." Amen. Amen! I want my heart to be for Georgia just the same.

She is strong. She is willed. She is strongwilled. She is mine to parent. Mine to point the way toward Christ. And I love her dearly.