Honor Star

Cassidy was crowned an Honor Star on Saturday in Rocklin, CA and we are so incredibly proud of her accomplishment. Stars is the 3-5th grade girls club in the Assemblies of God Missionettes program. It's a great club and has been quite an experience for Cassidy in many ways. I think summer camp each year would be her favorite memory.

Becoming an Honor Star requires attaining a series of badges, much like Girl Scouts, reading the entire New Testament, memorizing about 20 verses, and reciting the Stars motto. It was a lot of work and near the end we weren't quite sure if she was going to pull it off. She wanted it though, and here we are.

The ceremony required a 2 hour practice in the morning so that we could all figure out the process of daddies escorting their daughters down the aisle, moms crowning their daughters, and a few other odds and ends. I admit to being a little negative about the long day prior to Saturday (sorry!), but it was really a great experience. Sixty 6th graders - all on the cusp of leaving childhood and entering (scary!) teendom. As I sat there behind all of these girls, it struck me how they had worked so hard, had so much fun, learned so much, come from such a variety of backgrounds, and attained the same goal. I'm so excited to imagine the great things these young women will do in our future.

Finally, the day brought me realization that our little girl is growing up. The "little girl" days have been slipping away for some time, but it won't be long and they'll be gone for good. I need to make every moment count, remember whatever I can, and teach her by example. There will come a time when I'm not "the voice" in her life, a time when she listens to others for their wisdom, a time when she seeks life's answers on her own. I know it's coming, but of course I don't know when. However, when it does, I want her to be prepared, to have a strong foundation, to make those decisions from a place of strength, and to truly know that she is loved.