She Would Have Been 4

4 years ago today God gave me a gift.

Delores always said that mothers should be celebrated on their children’s birthdays. She said, “We did all the hard work, why are we celebrating them?!” Then her musical laugh would ring. She cracked me up! And up until their last year on earth, Delmer would take her out on each of her children’s birthdays.

I do love the idea of mothers focusing on what a huge day it was when God gave them their treasures. We can get wrapped up in making it all about the child and forget that it was all about God.

So today, I’m going to focus on my treasure, my gift, Keren. She was beautiful and wild and dangerous and full of complete joy (except for when she wasn’t). She brought laughter and chaos to our family. She was not afraid to be herself. There was something so special about her. She was an “Odell kid” like our others but she put her own twist on it. She made life vibrant.

Today I can choose to be a victim or a victor. I can focus on my loss or focus on Heaven’s gain. I’m going to see the miracle that she was. In her short life she taught us so much and through her death God is reaching out to so many. He is using it for good.

I will cry today and look through her memory box and miss her. But, I will have hope because I will see her again. And until I do, I will focus on bringing as many as I can into the Kingdom with me.

Thank you, Father, for loving me enough to give me her.