A Shining Example

After the kids all left for school this morning, I was putting something away in the girls' room and stopped for a moment to read what Gwen had written on her dry erase board. It was a list of things "to do". She's so good that way. I then proceeded to write her a little note when I noticed some scriptures and quotes she had pinned up on her bulletin board. Ever since she's entered Young Women's she has blossomed immensely and thrives on going to class and activities. She is truly a shining example to me. One of the scriptures she had on her board struck me so hard this morning as I was thinking of our situation and our future:

Joshua 1:9--"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: For the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest."

It made me realize what a strong girl Gwen is. She's not my baby anymore. I often feel like we're equals, but more of the time I feel like she's so much more than I am. She takes a lot after her father and that's a very good thing. She has wisdom beyond her years and that makes her very special to me. She's often reminding me of things I should or shouldn't be doing, like when we go shopping and I pick up something that we don't necessarily need, she'll say "We really don't need that" or "That's too expensive." She retains information very well so she's often rattling off facts that she learns from science programs or school and never ceases to amaze me, because it's usually stuff that I don't know! She's taking Algebra and has been getting an A+ so far this year and it amazes me how quickly she catches on to things (I didn't take Algebra until 9th grade and even then I won't tell you what grade I got). Thank goodness we have Ryan to help her when she gets stuck on something because I don't remember a thing. I'm just so thankful for her desire to do good, to be the best that she can be. If she's not getting a perfect A+ in a class she seeks out what she needs to do to get one and she goes for it until she has it. She's willing to work. She's always willing to try. She's not a slacker. I'm always taking notes from her because these are things that I need to be working on. Most girls her age can be a little annoying at times, but Gwen isn't that way to me, and not just because she's my daughter. She's my friend and I realized that last night when we went to the movies together. She's fun to be with and we're on the same page.

Her orchestra performed this weekend and it was beautiful. Every piece brought tears to my eyes and I was bursting (the song playing right now is one that they played--one of my all-time favorites). I don't know if she'll ever know how much her music touches me--same goes with all my children. Now I know why my dad always wanted to sit and listen to me play the piano. This is one of the rewards of being a parent, to see your children blossom, to see them develop their God-given talents, and to see them for who they really are-a spirit son/daughter of our Heavenly Father. Gwen is truly my spirit sister and I am so thankful for her example because I need it every single day.