I am no less thankful to have Alyssa in our lives. It is unimaginable that she is almost 13 years old. And we are so proud to be her parents.

Those of you who have had the privilege of meeting her know what an exceptional person she is. You won’t find anyone as caring, giving, helpful, or sweet. This is nothing new for her. When she was a baby and we had her with us in Sunday school or church, she never cried. People commented on what a good baby she was. And she was. She rarely cried. We only had to put her in the nursery for a few months and only at sermon time because she hadn’t learned how to whisper yet.

Her great-grandmother, who passed away last month, loved her. She threatened to steal Alyssa from me to come and live with her and take care of her. And Alyssa loved Great-grandma. She got along just as well with her other great-grandmother. Perhaps someday she’ll go into the field of geriatrics. Or maybe she’ll just take good care of us in our old age.

She is growing into a beautiful young lady. Yes, my sweet baby is gone. She is getting into make-up and only wants gift cards for Christmas so she can go shopping. Right now, she’s trying to talk me into going Black Friday shopping. Oh, so not my scene, but I’ll probably do it for her.

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of this lovely young woman, who has a heart so filled with your love and with love for others.