Six

Photo by Erika Fletcher on Unsplash

Time is an odd thing. It can pass both exceedingly fast and excruciatingly slow. Six years have come and gone since we delivered Verity Grace. Those years have been an amalgam of moments that have felt both fast and slow and my head can’t quite seem to grasp how such seemingly opposing facts can be true. Today though, it feels like six years have gone by in the blink of an eye. Six years have passed since Verity’s “birthday” and today we celebrated “Verity Grace Day”  in what has become a tradition these past few years…by going to a zoo. 

We explored every inch of the San Antonio Zoo! We rode the train, were delighted by butterflies, watched giraffes eat, and found Nemo and Dory. We climbed on things, made animal noises, and ate birthday cake pops instead of birthday cake. On our way home we got ice cream from a new staple ice cream place and had a spontaneous dinner at Uncle Ben & Auntie Baubie’s. There was laughter, burgers, a dance party, and a sweet prayer over the life V lived with the hope of forever. 

Yesterday there was a doe and fawn in my parent’s backyard. They haven’t had deer back there since they first moved in, partially because there is a tall fence around a good portion of the property, but yesterday a doe felt safe enough to bound right in with her fawn and graze while it took a nap in the tall grass. What a beautiful, gentle reminder my heart needed of the nearness of God. He’s near in the seasons where each day feels like a crushing tidal wave and He’s near after years have passed and the hard still washes over like waves after a storm. 

While I know there is more I need to process, my heart feels full after a weekend of beautiful reminders of how fast life goes and how important it is to savor the moments. 

Happy Sixth Birthday to the daughter who first made me a mom. I love you, Verity Grace.