Scrapbook

Why am I still up at 10:55pm? I have been working on a small scrapbook for weeks and guess what? Most of it was assembled for me, which was an awesome shower gift. Susan was right...very little time to scrapbook once the baby was around. Choosing, printing, and cropping pictures has taken a bit of time and tonight I was able to sit down and place the photos in the scrapbook. Ahhh...the memories of delivering Fletcher and bringing him home. Women were right...you tend to forget about all the pain and "stuff" that goes along with having a baby. Sooner rather than later, you only focus on the little and most precious gift that God blessed you with...your baby, and in our case, of course...Fletcher. Within the pages of the scrapbook Susan had written the words to a poem that made me cry the day of my shower and made me cry again tonight. I don't know who wrote it, but I'd like to share it with you.

Before I get to the poem, I also wanted to share that while I was taking a picture of Fletcher in cute pj's tonight (24 month pj's on a 4.5 month old), he was on the floor of his room and I went to put the camera in the guest room and when I came back...he had rolled from his belly to his back for the first time! I went to get the camera again, hoping to capture the move on film, but all I wound up doing was making 6 short videos of him getting overly frustrated on his stomach, so I gave up for the night. The video (when he performs in front of the camera) should be coming to a blog like this one very soon. Okay, now on to the poem...

At the wonderous moment you were born, as you took your first breath, a great celebration was held in the heavens and twelve magnificent gifts were granted to you.
The first gift is STRENGTH. May you remember to call upon it whenever you need it.
The second gift is BEAUTY. May your deeds reflect its depth.
The third gift is COURAGE. May you speak and act with confidence and use courage to follow your own path.
The fourth gift is COMPASSION. May you be gentle with yourself and others. May you forgive those who hurt you and yourself when you make mistakes.
The fifth gift is HOPE. Through each passage and season, may you trust the goodness of life.
The sixth gift is JOY. May it keep your heart open and filled with light.
The seventh gift is TALENT. May you discover your own special abilities and contribute them toward a better world.
The eighth gift is IMAGINATION. May it nourish your visions and dreams.
The ninth gift is REVERENCE. May you appreciate the wonder that you are and the miracle of all creation.
The tenth gift is WISDOM. Guiding your way, wisdom will lead you through knowledge to understanding. May you hear its soft voice.
The eleventh gift is LOVE. It will grow each time you give it away.
The twelfth gift is FAITH. May you believe.