wrc.one year

i've been around the block twice with this whole one year mark. it never gets any less sentimental for me. a whole year of life that God has graciously sustained and granted to our family as a gift. 

and oh what a gift he is! 

sweet william,

 i hope in the first year you have seen and experienced the love that i wrote of here and here. you have only proven yourself to be nothing less than a joy to all of us. that joy coupled with your easy going personality constantly brings smiles to all around you.

 as i look back over the last twelve months of your life, i only remember things that make this first year such a milestone. you went from eating, sleeping, and pooping to crawling, laughing, clapping, and dancing. i hold dear the memory of your baby breath on my neck, your first smile, your belly laughs from an early age. the way you have always enjoyed the company of us, especially engaging with your brothers. your sweet spirit. learning to crawl, learning to kiss, learning to charm. 

now as i watch you explore the world around you to greater depths, i can see that God has put a sense of adventure in you, little man. you are awed by birds, ants, dirt, sand and the like. you aren't afraid to try things on your own. as you try to gain the courage to take your first steps, you do it with a giggle and a grin. you love to play and figure things out. you will sit and do something over and over again until you learn and perfect it. i love to see this quality in you. you are perfecting new skills every day. you love to show us how big you are and clap for yourself. you do all the motions to "wheels on the bus" and blow kisses. you hide yourself just so we will say "where's will?" and you pop up with a moon sized grin. your blue eyes sparkle when your awake and you willfully rest your head on my shoulder and squeeze my neck before going to sleep. i will hold these moments close to my heart forever.

you will step out in the next year to find your own will and way. we will struggle together and in the end both of us will learn and grow. we will watch you take your first steps and watch you fall. but i'm sure you will get up just to try, try again. then we will watch you run. we will ask you to slow down in more ways than one. slow the growing, slow the changing, slow it all down and let's just be. but that won't happen. there's too much to learn and do and see and be. so we'll do it all together with that joy that wells up from your heart to your eyes to your mouth to your laugh.

you are a precious gift to nurture. to watch you grow in stature. to pray for your soul that you will be tender to the free gift of Jesus. that's what it really all comes down to. when i look at you i can't help but think about eternity. about the here and the now but more about what this here and now really comes down to.

 know that we love you with all our hearts, sir william.