Wait…so he’s been only five for these past months?!?  As I’m buying size 7 clothes?  And giving him short chapter books to read?  And expecting him to get the fitted sheet on his bed by himself?  I keep forgetting he’s still such a little boy.  I forget, sometimes, that it’s okay to let him watch Curious George in the morning and not have a long list of chores like his older siblings.  I forget, sometimes, that it’s okay that he isn’t moving at a lightning pace with adding 3-digit numbers.  I forget, sometimes, that it’s gotta be hard for him to sit patiently and attempt to listen to a long chapter in a Dietrich Bonhoeffer biography.  I forget, sometimes, to soak up the hugs and the giggles and the endless offers of help.

I forget because he can so capably keep up with his big brothers in many things.  I forget because because he’s so articulate and asks such thoughtful questions.  I forget because he’s strong and persistent and independent in a lot of ways.

But I don’t want him to get lost in the shuffle of life.  I don’t want to forget that he still needs me to be there for him in all the myriad of ways that six-year old boys need their moms.  I don’t want him to think I’ve forgotten that he needs me.  This year especially, I’ve felt a burden to really make sure he knows he’s someone special this birthday.  I’ve seen in him lately a searching for assurance that who he is matters and is precious…maybe partly because of his sensitive heart, but maybe partly, too, because I’ve assumed that he can figure things out on his own more often than I should and he finds himself flailing a bit.

Whatever it is, the truth that I want to convey to him is that he is remarkable.  I adore his heart for people.  I am blown away by his…insightfulness (?).  I am blessed beyond description by the way he encourages me (today, he was showing one of his siblings his birthday cake and said, “Doesn’t Mommy do a great job making cakes?”).  He is one-of-a-kind; a priceless treasure.  And I hope he will remember that every day of his life.

Elijah is loved more than I can express and celebrating him today is simply joy.