My Alaynah

Alaynah,
    I cannot believe that you turned 11 today. It seems like only yesterday I held you for in my arms for the very first time. You have always been God's grace to me. As I reflect back on how God has used your precious life to impact mine I am overwhelmed by just how good God is.
   Because I got pregnant at 17, things could have turned out very differently for me - but there was you to consider. God was able to use your sweet life to get ahold of my attention and to capture my heart for Himself. It was the news that you were coming that made me make the decision that I would follow Christ not just in word but also in deed. Your little barely detectible heartbeat was the courage I needed to stop trying to gain the attention and approval of my peers and to search hard after God.
   I can remember asking your mymom if it would be okay to pray for you. I was so scared that I had messed things up beyond repair - but there was you to remember. No one will ever be able to say that you were a consequence of my poor choices. You were the grace God gave me to allow me to endure the consequences of my sin and to make better choices. While God was knitting you together in my womb he was knitting my heart back together. You are a beautiful representation of what a beautiful thing God can make out of a broken young girl who wanted to be made whole again.
   I prayed for you every single day that I knew I was pregnant. I prayed that you would come to know Christ at an early age and that you would love Him with all of your heart. When you started talking about asking Jesus in your heart when you were 4, I shouldn't have been shocked. God was teaching me that He was a God that answers prayers through you. I continue to pray that your love for Jesus will be the strongest force in your life. He so faithful. He didn't give me what I deserved - He gave me you.
   You have taught me to have compassion for others with your endless striving to defend the outcasts. You have shown so much strength of character when faced with any obstacle. You amaze me: You are so strong and determined that I know you can do anything you decide to do yet still so tender that your heart breaks for a friend that is hurting. You are so wise beyond your years. I know that God is sculpting you into a beautiful vessel that will display His splendor.
   I can't begin to imagine what God has in store for you. I will continue to pray that you always love God more than anything else in your life. I pray that He is your greatest passion. I know that in the blink of an eye you will be grown. I want to cherish the days I still have with you under my roof. You are such a precious gift from God and I know that He will continue to change me as he continues to grow you. I couldn't possibly be more proud of the little lady you have become. The day I found out I was pregnant you captured my heart - you and your sister will always have it.
I love you sweet girl. Happy 11th Birthday.
Momma

I will praise Him for you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are His works and that my soul knows very well.  ~ Ps. 139:14