Yet another gorgeous day to celebrate your birth. Just like the day you were born.
Here you came, born to us on the heels of your sister Stephanie (maybe you two were actually meant to be twins), to your madly-in-love parents and big sister Tara and a summer of good music and splashing with my baby girls in the wading pool and this fab hot-pink and white striped, ruffled-plunge swimsuit and finally feeling like adult, a real woman-wife-and-mommy. You had no idea your birth brought all of that, did you?
This year on each child’s birthday, I have been re-reading all the things I have written since I started this blog. From 2007 to the present, you have been one of my favorite topics. And as I read, I love how you have grown and how God has blessed you and how you remain true to your calling and God’s plan for your lives. It is beautiful.
Check out these glimpses of your birthday-blogs over the past 5 years. {click on the year-number for links to old posts}
2011, I am never at a loss for words about you
I was enthralled with the now-defunct picnik.com site and learned I could plaster words onto to photographs. So for your birthday, I tried to paint your picture with my word-blessings, how I see you.
I wrote last year (waxing rather poetically): “Dessy, Dessa, Tre-Tre, Dessy-Pooh-Pie – all names for the exotic, dark haired beauty who arrived just days before a most lovely summer in 1983. You were christened and accessorized in a wardrobe of sunshine-yellow and an earlier, milder form of Jeanie-green to set you apart, I suppose, from the lots-of-pink we already had in the family. You were baby-girl-number-three (thus, Tre) and I knew from the first moment I had alone with you, something very different, quite extraordinary and alluring lay there in my arms. The eyes, even at birth, showed an intensity of spirit; yet there seemed to reside in you, even as a tiny bundle, a quiescent repose, a knowing restfulness.”
2010 “And the Bible says…”
“Deep calls to deep…even at three, your main topic of conversation was “And the Bible says…” and your love for God and for His word have been the hallmark of all the days of your life so far. How pleasing it is to me to see how strong that remains in you. You are woman who is to be admired. You have my awe and respect.”
And the Lord gave me a song to sing over you, too.
2009, Tredessa the leader…
“We were in Wilmore, Kentucky…on Dessa’s birthday, gathering information and learning from people who have managed to keep a festival going for 40 years now. I got to watch watch Tredessa in action interviewing people much older and I was so impressed at her ease and ability to draw the most important information from them. She is soft-spoken and gentle, easy to talk to (and talk, they did), but she has the ability to harness millions of bits of data, opinion, strategy (both good and bad, both successful and disastrous) and infuse it into a leadership team of nearly 100 people who will make Heaven Fest all God has ordained it to be.”
And I wrote you 26 wishes for your 26th birthday and I LOVED re-reading those. My fav was #22. Hahahaha! You still really are!
2008, looking forward to the Mr Right-Faaland
I was praying for your Jim-from-the-office, your Mr Darcy, your Boaz.
2007 Every single June 13 since 1983, I see the beauty of the day
“You have chosen to live your life poured out based on the Living Word of God (Jesus) for Him and for others. Tredessa, you have great favor with both God and man. i know this because I am looking out the back door – the sun has burst forth, the chimes are singing in the breeze, yesterday’s raindrops are sparkling like confetti, the flowers are vibrant and the grass is lush. The heavens are apparently celebrating your birthday, too!”
I love you very, very much, o middlest of daughters. You are a treasure and treasure-keeper, a good daughter and family-builder. The tight fit between Stephanie and Rocky in the birth order has made you a glue of love for us all.
Oh, momma. Thank you SO much! I need all of my past birthday blogs printed out for me in a little booklet. The words you’ve spoken over me these last years have been prophetic, have made me cry, have encouraged me to keep going, have humbled me, have made me laugh and have made me extremely proud. I love you and really have the best mother alive!