All our love...Melissa, David and Remi

So I wrote a letter today. Actually at 1:00 this morning. In fact, I started it at 1 and finished it about 1:45 or 2:00. Why in the world would I sit up just to write a letter? Well, it was an important one.

Once a year I try to send a letter to a precious friend. I try to tell her what all has happened in our home in the past year. I tell her about the weather and the trees, our new house and how our families are doing. Then I get to the really important stuff.

I tell her how Remi is walking, fast and all over the place. I tell her how she goes to Mother's Day Out now and she loves it so much that she doesn't even tell me "bye." I tell her how I counted the word "mama" coming out of Remi's mouth a total of 28 times on the ride home from church the other night. I tell her how Remi's first birthday party went and what all we have planned for her big 2 year coming up! I told her how we are taking her to the beach for the first time in March and how she is so excited and doesn't even understand why. I tell her how she loves to kiss me and crawl up in my lap. How she is addicted to Winnie the Pooh and that becuase of her Daddy, 5:45pm is her favorite time of day. I tell her how she's learning to whisper but can only laugh really loudly - which I could listen to all day.

I send her pictures of Remi eating her birthday cake. Of Remi dressed up as a chick for Halloween and with her tiara on at Christmas. I send pictures of Remi playing outside, of Remi on her little ATV and of Remi with the dogs. I make sure the pictures are perfect. I send so many. Maybe too many.

And then, becuase I love her, I remind her that we pray for her. Every day. And that Remi hears us. And someday soon when she learns to pray outloud she will say what Mommy and Daddy say, and so she will be praying for her as well. I tell her if she ever needs us to call us, and yet I know in my heart she never will. And I tell her to send us a letter and that if she does I will read it, to Remi, forever.

And then I thank her. Because the little girl I write about, and get to snap pictures of and get to hold on to came from her. And I remind her of this fact: of all the things we have to worry about in this lifetime that sweet child being loved, truly loved, is not one of them. I reassure her of our love for Remi. It is always. And forever.

And I thank her, one more time. My precious friend.