The Girl

I rarely pull out the camera these days. It's a combination of the kid's age, busyness of the days, and maybe a pinch of not wanting to remember the details of the days that include chemo, pain, parenting challenges, and my 41-year old hairless self.

Several weeks ago (a month ago?) Rory and I were leaving to run a few errands on a dreary Saturday morning and I grabbed the camera and snapped these pictures in the driveway before we jumped in the car.

She is such a bright spot in our world. Loving and kind and compassionate with some sassy thrown. She is a willing helper and her eagerness to pitch in around the house is sweet. I'm learning to listen to her random, long-winded stories without an internal eye roll. She struggled earlier in the school year with social situations (for which she was as much to blame as the others) and even questioned her faith. But in typical Rory fashion, she cried many tears then persevered in her search for answers.

She loves all things girly and is, at times, overly interested in her looks. Other days, I have to remind her to brush her hair and teeth (this is the current phase). She prefers fancy dresses and yoga pants.

She is getting significant attention from boys (heaven help us when she is actually old enough to receive attention from boys) and it's a constant struggle to push back against society to resist attention that isn't age-appropriate. I see her working SO hard to bite her tongue when her older brother treats her like the pesky little sister that she is. 

I pray every day that she never loses the desire to do right.