CELEBRATE

When our girls were little we would celebrate their birthdays by appreciating other individuals who had made a contribution to their young lives in the last year. We would sit down and talk about people who they thought made their life better, someone who had taught them something special, someone who had given them a piece of their time, someone who had done something that they would remember the rest of their lives. We would come up with a special gift for that person in honor of our particular daughters birthday.

We were trying to teach the girls to reach out of themselves and think of others. We were trying to teach the girls about the community where they lived. We were trying to teach the girls that giving is almost always better than receiving. We were trying to teach the girls about Jesus on a real level that they could easily understand. We were trying to teach the girls to reach out of themselves and into the lives of others.

For several years we did this with our girls and for whatever reason, we discontinued the practice at some point. I am not sure we accomplished the goal we set for ourselves. I don't know how you measure success on an abstract level. I do know that our girls have made us proud of their accomplishments up to now and I know they will continue to grow into the young women that God has ordained them to be.

Perhaps they will take up our challenge and start celebrating their birthdays again by celebrating others that have contributed to the women they have become. There are so many of you that have enhanced their individual lives that it would take years for them to honor you all.

Please know that we as a family appreciate each of you that have touched our lives. You do not go unnoticed in our hearts.

We love being parents of Roderick girls.