Happy Birthday, Rachel!!

Last month, Rachel, our fourth daughter, had her 12th birthday. Rachel is a one of a kind girl. She loves deeply and quickly. She makes friends in an instant, and they are her friends forever! At the age of 8, Rachel had to deal with the sudden death of a friend she had recently made. Rachel loved Abbie with all her heart from the moment she met her, and when Abbie died, Rachel took it very hard. I don't think There Rachel will ever forget Abbie. Their birthdays were a day apart, so Rachel's birthday is always bittersweet. have been some people who didn't understand Rachel's attachment to Abbie, because she hadn't known her long. There is something unique about Rachel and that is her ability to love completely. I've had some suggest that maybe she cares too much. But, if you look at it from a Godly perspective, is that really possible? Does it cause heartache and hurt? Yes, but God can use that to strengthen and mature us.

A great blessing to this quality of Rachel's is that she loves the Lord with the same devotion. Her heart breaks for those who are lost in the darkness, who don't know Him. In a world where most Christians don't give a passing thought to those who are dying and going to hell, I find it a great reminder of how we are truly to feel about them. Aren't we called to love them as we love ourselves?

Rachel is also a great lover of animals, and has a great concern for them. We have to work diligently to keep this in balance, but we don't want to discourage her from her compassion. Today we had a test in this area. We were at the mall, and in the food court they had cages with tiger cubs of various ages. People we paying $25 for 2 people to spend 8 minutes in the cages with the tigers. These cubs ranged in age from 8 weeks to 4 months. We talked about this for a long time tonight and it really stuck with Rachel. She knows that this isn't where these tigers belong. We talked a great deal about how these animals can be best be taken care of. Her answer was, "If they want to see tigers, they can go to the zoo." It's also very hard for her to understand how greed can motivate a person to do things that aren't in the best intrest of a person or animal.

Rachel is also very logical, plain spoken, and quick witted, which at times can be very funny.

Here's a picture of Rachel that I recently took: