Sixteen Candles On Her Cake

Today is our oldest granddaughter's sixteenth birthday. Alexis was born in St. Louis but has lived in the Dallas area with her family for the past fifteen years. She's on the Dance/Drill Team at her high school. She's at a football game last fall in the picture above.

All grandparents are proud and maybe a bit prejudiced about the talents of their grandchildren, and we're no different. She's a good student, a kind and thoughtful person, and loyal to both family and friends. May she always keep those traits.

She was born on a Friday evening, and early the next morning we were in the car on our way to St. Louis. I knew it would be exciting to have a grandchild, but I had no idea of the overwhelming emotion I would feel when I held her for the first time.

I cradled her close and looked into her face as she fixed her eyes on me. Emotion rose up so quickly and with such strength that it nearly undid me. All I could think of was This is the child of my child. I spiraled back many years and thought of the first time I held her daddy after his birth. How thrilled I was and now here was that same great joy all over again.

There have been many happy moments and memories made when we've been with Alexis off and on these past sixteen years. The other day I wrote about creating memories with our two youngest grandchildren as we care for them this week while their parents are gone. Memories are one of the most precious treasures we have. Preserve them. Keep them in your memory bank and write those stories about your family memories so they'll be saved for others.

Happy Birthday Alexis!