She is Eleven

And then my soul saw you and kind of went,
"Oh there you are. I've been looking for you."
~ Iain Thomas

I sometimes wonder if I'm supposed to love her as much as I do.
She is my muse, my inspiration (many times) with
photography, my heart and my daughter.
I will protect her fiercely until the day I die.

We know nothing about the circumstances of her birth or her birth parents.
But maybe we do know some about them through Grace.
Most likely they are soft spoken, kind hearted, sensitive,
artistic and striking in appearance.

What we do know is that the names she has been given fit her.
In China, she was named Fu Lan Li which means 'beautiful orchid' -
and then we named her Grace which couldn't be a more perfect name for her.
Orchids are sturdy flowers that need the right environment to grow and thrive.
When she came to us, she was just 12 mos. old - not talking or walking yet.
Now 10 years later at age 11, she has blossomed into a young lady who carries

herself with grace.

Yes she is beautiful but it goes much much deeper than the surface.
Grace is a kind and thoughtful person.
She is loving, creative and turns simple things into
works of art and beauty.
Recently on our vacation I found three long scraggly roots on
the beach and braided them to make a rope.
Grace turned it into a beautiful crown decorated with flowers and leaves.
She didn't say a word about it.
She just made it, put it on her head and acted like it
was supposed to be that way.

Every day she makes us smile.
Laughter comes easily and often to her and it puts a smile on my heart.
Her hugs and kisses warm my soul.
I can't imagine our lives without her or how diminished the world would
be if her light didn't shine.
Thank you God for the delightful gift you have given us.
We are blessed beyond our dreams.

May all your hopes and dreams come true,
Happy Birthday, Grace!

Taken about two weeks ago before sunset
in the beautiful fields of Southern Wisconsin.