A little big gift from God

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB!! YOU ARE THREE!

I can hardly even believe that my precious Caleb has turned three years old today!

Wasn't he just born? Didn't we just get home from the hospital? Oh MY!! Three. That seems so grown-up to Mommy. He is my baby still, right?? Ah. The bittersweet passing of time for a mother. It is life's greatest blessing to watch your children blossom. And yet....
It goes so very, very quickly.



I have so many things that I could say and share on this special day. Last year I started writing a letter to Caleb on his birthday, telling him about his growing personality, and about how much he means to us and to God. I think I will leave those thoughts for him alone to read.

Instead, I want to share something that happened to us on this special day:

A Little Big Gift from God

Matt and I did not have too much planned for today, Caleb's actual birthday, other than opening a few small gifts and having birthday cake (which he LOVES). We had a party in Indiana (we were there last week for vacation), and we are having his party here next weekend with his closest little buds. So, I was feeling that today might be somewhat anti-climactic. Of course, little ones never see things that way....

Even still, I was wishing I had a special way to share my great love for him on this day. Instead, God did what He does best! He showed up in a BIG way, in the little things.

To say that Caleb LOVES wheels, or any form of a tractor, does not do justice to the insane, borderline-certifiable obsession that he has for those items. How do you make Caleb happy? Well, you can let him hold a wheelbarrow tire all around Home Depot, and you will make the kid's entire day. And, did I mention that he LOVES tractors. On most days, and I am telling you - this is NO exaggeration - Caleb wakes up asking if he can ride on "Daddy's Tractor" (our lawnmower). This is how Caleb learned the phrase "Stop Asking!" by the age of two (we had to do something about the non-stop harassing).

So, we "just so happen" to have construction at our house right now. This is nothing new. They have been here since Caleb was 14 months old. BUT! There "just so happens" to be a backhoe working in our side yard right now... on his birthday. And Mr. Gene, the super nice guy who operates the backhoe, "just so happens" to love kids. He is a very kind Christian man who has a very inspiring family, with 5 homeschooled children. His boys work with him, and they are so very kind as well.

For Caleb's birthday, Gene allowed Caleb to drive and operate that backhoe for a solid 20 minutes. He was beside himself with delight.

_______________________

If I had had every resource in the world, I would not have been able to give Caleb a better gift on his birthday. With tears in my eyes now, just as at that moment, I say:

Thank you, God, for your little big gift. I humbly thank you, God: every small thing that matters to our hearts, matters to You!! Maybe no one else reading this truly cares that Caleb got the ride of his life. But You, the God of all, care. And I humbly weep before You that You love my little boy, even more than I do.

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts
to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11

Happy Birthday Caleb.