Twelve years ago I was just getting over kidney stones and wondering what our family was going to look like once you joined the fray. I had no idea that such a tiny package could pack such a punch, and twelve years later, we are still so incredibly grateful for the ways God has made you so tenacious and spunky. I think it gets harder for me to write these letters every year, not because you are less amazing but because you are MORE and MORE amazing-- you are becoming more the young woman that God is molding you to be, and it is sometimes overwhelming for me to get a front row seat to see.
You wrapped up your elementary days with a good year in sixth grade. You were challenged academically, and you had to figure out some new organizational skills and study habits as you had more homework than before, and you rose to the challenge (most of the time :)) At our last spring Parent Teacher conference, your teacher said to me words that I hadn't been able to ever think myself. She leaned towards me and said, "I think you're going to really love the teenage years with Becks. She is going to be a wonderful teenager." And then she prayed the sweetest prayer for you as you leave sixth grade. Becks, I haven't kept it hidden from you that your early days were a battle of the wills between you and I, and I think because of that I have kind of assumed that as we near the teenage years that we would face more of the same: but your teacher gave me some perspective that can often be hard to see when you're up close as a parent, and she reminded me to take a step back and see you for who you have become...NOT who you were when you were three. And Becks, what you have become is an incredible, kind, responsible, compassionate, and considerate young woman. And I think your teacher is right: these next years are going to be a JOY with you.
You are always looking for a time and place to go fishing. On your actual birthday when we asked what you wanted to do, we should have known we would have ended up at the pond. You've always been our kid who will grab the toad, catch the bug, jump in the mud, climb the tree, but I get such a kick out of watching you grab the fish, pop the hook out, and release it back into the water, You have no qualms about touching the worm or the scales, and you help all your siblings as you catch and release, catch and release. (Especially Blythe, who absolutely does NOT share this love of fish with you haha). You love to be in the woods, but you're still not so sure about going hunting with Papa, and I doubt your tender heart would allow you to pull the trigger.
You have also become really helpful at home, doing laundry and helping in the kitchen. I can hand you a recipe and you can whip most things up with minimal or no help. This is amazing! I love that you have found this love. You also have developed some really wonderful friendships, one in particular, and your dad and I know, without a doubt, are exact answers to our prayers for you. I always prayed that God would bring you just one person that could be "your person," that loved Jesus, that was a leader you could follow, and that would allow you out of your shell and allow you to fully be yourself. And man did he come through. So when you doubt that God is a God who answers prayers, look at your friends and know they are the answer to prayers we've been praying for a long time.
Another thing I absolute love about you? You LOVE good food! It's so fun to share more flavors with you now and watch you appreciate things I've made. Just recently I made bruschetta and threw it on some garlicky rice with chicken and Becks, you were literally stomping your feet while you ate because you loved it so much. I think this bleeds into your enjoyment for cooking, because once you appreciate more flavors it is more fun to learn how to make them yourself. You also have an engine in you that just doesn't quit. On our trip to Colorado this year we did a pretty big 6 mile hike one day with a decent amount of elevation gain. It took us over 4 hours. I was sore later that day, and ready to just relax, and yet when your dad mentioned he wanted to get up the next morning and summit another mountain nearby with even greater elevation gain, you jumped at the opportunity to join him. You got out of bed at 5:30 a.m. and by sunrise you had summited another mountain with your dad (and Nan, who is always going to push you too ;))
Twelve years old seems like your standing on the precipice of some really big things: junior high, youth group, more freedoms in a lot of areas. And yet you're still the one to come and just hug me for a bit, or lay your head on my shoulder during church. God has such incredibly things in store for you, I just know it-- I've always thought of you like dynamite: explosive potential in a tiny package! And yet I do pray you always know your dad and I are a safe space to land as you navigate all the new. But the really beautiful thing about you, is that I know YOU are going to be the safe space for so many others to land when they need someone they can trust, when they need a helping hand, when they need a listening ear, or when they just need someone to lay their head on. Because that's your super power Becks: you SEE others, and you meet them where they are at. And man if that is not a GIFT.
As always: your dad and I hope you always understand the why behind our no-s. We hope you feel safe in the boundaries we set. We hope you feel freedom in the wide open places we leave for you. We hope you see God in our actions and words. We hope when you leave our little home for good and go out on your own that you'll look back on this simple little life we had together-- chaos and mistakes and messes and all-- and see that it was grace that held us together; that you see that it was God's daily bread that provided it all.
Happy twelfth birthday, Becks Lynae! We will always come for you, and there is nothing you could ever do to make us stop loving you!
*also, you wanted to take your pictures again at Lake Michigan, as it has quickly become one of your favorite places.
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