I can not believe my sister is 11. I remember going to the hospital when she was born, holding her and thinking she is so tiny, she will never really know me, and yes.. I always wanted a sister.. but being 13 years apart was so not what I had in mind.
God has a way of taking things and surprisng us to the fullest. He sure did that 11 years ago when my beautiful sister was born, and again 8 months ago when I found out I was going to have my own little girl.. with my sister only being a few years younger than I was when she was born. God is so good. His plans are so perfect, and yet I still doubt and fret over them... so sad. When will I learn??
Anyway.. Birthdays! To say I love birthdays would be an understatment. I mean an entire day that is all about the person you love. SO awesome! Jonnah is one special girl. Let me prove it.
She is a giver. (she must get that from her sister, like all of her good qualaties) haha... but for real. This girl loves people.
Jonnah is a very loyal person. If you have her for a friend, she will be a friend for life. She has been BEST friends with this one cool lady for a long time. And I am more than thankful for that.
Jonnah is very talented. She is a soccer star for sure. She love sthe game, and she is the fastest girl I know. hands down.
She is also very creative. I love helping her with scrapbooking or card making, but if I am honest... she doesn't need my help at all. She can come up with ideas all on her own and is very very very talented when working on these crafs. I often think if I had her talent when I was her age, I could really be doing something with my life right about now!
She is also a great actress... I mean for real.. she must get this from her cousin carrington, because they could both be stars! She really enjoys it and truly does have a gift.
Jonnah loves Jesus. She really truly does, and it shows in the way she lives her life. I am so proud to call her my sister. I often go back and think about the days when I thought we would have nothing in common and laugh. She really is one of my all time favorite people to spend time with, to laugh with, and to learn from.I can't believe how fast she has grown up... I can't believe how mature she is... and I can't believe that soon she will really be an aunt. Crazy.
Sweet girl... On your birthday...I want to leave you with a letter....
Dear Jonnah,
I pray you remember to keep the Lord first in your life. Just like you do now.. but forever. I hope that he is not only first in your life, but that he is in the center of you life, your decisions, your world. I want you to remember that when you do make a mistake, go to him first. Ask for forgiveness and he will show you what to do. Keep him close, pray often. That helps for sure. Read your bible. Really read it... don't just do it to check it off your to do list like I find myself doing sometimes.. read it because you love it. Read it because you love HIM.
I pray you remember to forgive and forgive quickly. I learned that later in life, and I could have saved myself some real heartache if I just remembered that I too need forgiveness daily.. so I should give it.... I forget sometimes and think that I deserve to be upset, but nothing on this side of heaven is worth the heartache of unforgiveness--which ultimantly leads to bitterness... and life is much to precious to be bitter. People will hurt you, it will come and it will be so so so very sad. You may not even deserve this hurt... but I promise, I PROMISE that when you hold that against someone you are really making yourself hurt worse. So forgive.
I pray you will remember to laugh at yourself and have fun. Always. People will laugh with you, and at you, and sometimes that might even hurt... but if you remember to laugh at yourself it will make life much more fun... and speaking of fun... remember to have some of that too! Laughing and having fun is good thing. In Job it says "He will yet fill your mouth with
laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." so laugh my dear... do silly things just for fun, don't grow up too fast, there is plenty of time for that later. :)
I pray you put others first. Be like Jesus. He spent his entire life serving others, even when it was hard, even when people were really mean, even if it meant being alone, even when he took his dying breath. His life was a life of service. Completely. Sometimes I forget that. Sometimes I want to just spend time with my favorite people.... and not think about the lost people of the world... but that is not really what God calls us to do. It is so important to have close friends, but it is also SO important for us to tell others about Jesus and share what he has done in our lives.. even when its hard, even if they are mean, even if you are doing it alone.
I pray you learn from your mistakes. You will make them, and that is okay. We all know I sure do. That's why its so important to forgive and give grace. But, when you make those mistakes.. learn from them. Don't make the same one over and over. Talk to Jesus... talk to your mom (she's quite good at helping fix mistakes) I would know. Just remember that when you do mess up, I still love you. God still loves you, and you are still the beautiful precious little girl that He created for His glory.
I love you, and I am so proud of you. I hope you remember to how much you are loved. How much you are loved by not only your family and your friends, but how much the Lord loves you. Happy Birthday sweet girl!
Love, your sister
PS: remember to take lots of pictures. I know sometimes you make fun of me for always having my camera, but isn't it worth it. I once read the only pictures you regret are the ones you didn't take... that's not always true.. but really.. if you take one you don't like you can always delete it.. but you can go back and get a picture.. and it is totally worth it to look back on and see the changes, or cherish a special time in your life.. so trust me. Take pictures. take lots of pictures!
And... just for fun, lets add some pictures from last years birthday! We had a blast at the Carrie Underwood concert for sure!
