Sunshine Girl

 I have always considered Savanna to be a veritable ray of sunshine in an otherwise (oftentimes) gloomy world. Ever the first to offer kindness and reassurance to someone in need, ever willing to give up her own comfort for that of another, Savanna's very life, at the ripe old age of six, is a true lesson in Christlike love and sacrifice. She loves to love, and she is brilliant at it, and I love her so much for it.

After school last week, one glimpse of Savanna in her new yellow shirt prompted me to remind her how much she made me think of the sun; always bright, always shining, always offering warmth. She smiled a shy smile and buried her sweet little head in my arm.

On the way home, she told me about a friend from school who had gotten hurt at recess. "Oh, sad!" I said. "Did he cry?" She answered a little despondently. "Yes, he was crying so I went with him to the nurse. Poor guy. I feel bad for him. I wish it was me that got hurt instead of him."

Though I know in my head what a sweet, sweet girl we have on our hands, it never fails to make my heart smile when I experience daily the tender manifestations of her amazing spirit.

Feeling so blessed to see the gleam and feel the warmth of this little sunbeam every day of my life.

"And [s]he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain." 2 Samuel 23:4