A Crown for Her Head

Saturday morning she slept till 11am. She had arrived late the night before; we stayed up even later, her talking, me listening. In the morning I quietly slipped a note under her door before the boys and I left for a couple hours in case she should awake to an empty house.

Afternoon hours slipped by. The pool was filled with boys splashing, yelling the way boys do. The younger ones were inspecting the garden, so I slipped inside to slice watermelon and lifeguard from the window. Behind me I heard a faint pitter-patter; turning I saw that the petals had all fallen from my rose, leaving a little pile of delicate color on the counter.

Pity, I thought.  Then an idea came, one which was perfectly suited for my girl on a day such as it was.

On the deck she laced the petals onto embroidery thread and saved them in a bowl in the refrigerator. Later as boys showered up and the sun set, she and I did a little creating. We enjoy turning something ordinary, maybe broken and used up, into something unexpected.

A second chance. New and beautiful.

She, being the Olivia that she is, came back from camp with knees looking like this. She may be girly, but she plays to win. She says the wounds, still oozing days later, were entirely worth it.

Our earnest desire and solemn prayer for her and for all our children is this:

"The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,

and whatever you get, get insight.

Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;

she will honor you if you embrace her.

She will place on your head a graceful garland;

she will bestow on you a beautiful crown."

Ps. 4:7-9

~Katherine