Happy Birthday!

Of Benjamin, he said, 

'The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.  

The High God surrounds him all day long 

and dwells between his shoulders. Deut. 33:12

Can it possibly have been a whole year? Twelve whole months?

And then on the other hand, it seems like 10 years ... when were you not a part of our lives?  How could we possibly have gotten along without you?  (Oh, we just got more sleep?  Well, sleep's not all its cracked up to be.)

How could we have known how desperately we would love you, how much you would bring us together, how much you would bring us closer to the One who has gifted you to us for such a short time?

For you are truly a gift, every ounce of your cuddly little self (and there's quite a few more ounces than there were a year ago!)  Your fuzzy hair, the way your whole face lights up when you smile, your love of life, expressed in the tiniest of moments ... how amazing the water is as it runs over your fingers, how fun it is to be in motion, in some way, every moment you're awake, and how you simply MUST figure out everything around you.

It's funny for us to think now how new everything was when we first brought you home ... where should we put you?  It's not like you could just hang out on the couch... Which of these tiny clothes are pajamas? Does it even matter?  But you've taught us how to take care of you.  And God has been so very faithful.

Our hearts are so full this day, and our spirits so full of hopes and dreams and prayers for your future.  But above all, we ask that God would give you a heart strong in faith and full of passion for His Kingdom.  That you would know "what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe" (Eph. 1:18-19) and that we would be given the grace to love and guide you toward HIM.

We love you Benjamin Boy!  Happy First Birthday!