God. Love. Family. Life.: Roxie Evelyn: Our Little Slice of Heaven

Easing in like a gentle snowfall, with the commanding weight of a blizzard, Miss Roxie has been a true gift from Yahweh beyond anything we could ever ask or think. Sometimes we're knocked off our feet, sometimes we're swept off our feet, and sometimes we're both. Yahweh, You do all things well!

Our little paradox, sweet and spicy, first made herself known as a minor yucky feeling in her mama. I (the mama) had an 11-month-old and her big brother, and no one has ever been more clueless than this lady who was pregnant and totally unaware of it. I had been feeling yucky for a good month before I mentioned it to a friend.

"Uh, you're pregnant," she said without hesitation.

"Ridicu..." I started to think before a sudden knowing ignited, and I glanced at the calendar.

"I'll call you back!" I hung up the phone and ran upstairs.

I already knew it was true. Five minutes later, an inanimate stick wielded a strange degree of authority in its confirmation. Calling Jed, I was giddy with surprise, delight, awe, shock... Jed says he was in a gas station and proceeded to walk around the aisles in surprise, delight, awe, shock until he forced himself to remember what he was doing before racing up to the cashier exclaiming, "I'm gonna have a BABY!"

Our first two bundles of joy were announced to us before they were conceived, a gracious anticipation surrounding it all. But being blindsided is a whole other excitement: "Who is this one? Is it a he or a she?" For the first time, we didn't know!

Well now we know. She is a delight in every way. From her mild nature to her unabashed requests for assistance in no uncertain terms, Roxie doesn't overbear yet also doesn't shrink to the background.

She looks you right in the eye to read your soul, just before she leans in to nuzzle her forehead against yours. An old soul in a spritely little package, you know you can trust her to keep your secrets and have a goofy good time.

She's the blondie, Miss Blue Eyes, the curly-haired, left-handed one. She knew we needed a little shaking up! She loves a good joke, a good story, bobbing to music, being chased, and especially being caught. She loves her mama, owns her daddy, and thinks her siblings are great fun.

Sometimes you get flowers on your anniversary or your birthday. They are celebratory, extravagant, lovely, and never diminished by the expectation that they'll arrive. They make your heart flutter and draw out the sigh or the laugh or even the tear of joy.

And sometimes, you get flowers on a random Friday. Blindsided by beauty. Overwhelmed by the thoughtful, delightful, unexpected gift. Usually a more playful, less formal bouquet of brightness, they make your heart flutter and draw out the sigh and the laugh. Maybe even a tear of joy.

So my dear Miss Roxie Evelyn Finley, my bright star, my hazelnut, my dawn, my beautiful bird, my breath of life, my unexpected bouquet: Happy 1st Birthday!

Through you, we've seen heaven and earth collide, and this first year of easy fun, bright eyes, giggles, and sweetness has without a doubt been one more slice of His Kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven.

I bless you to follow the path Your Creator has laid out for you. To see beyond what others see, to choose the higher path, to always have your feet rooted in Him, and your spirit soaring with His. Others will rely on you and find you trustworthy and steady, but it will never be a burden as you dance before your King, feet barely touching the ground.