Olivia's 18th Birthday!

Today our oldest becomes an adult. Olivia is 18. Wow! How did that happen?

Olivia Kaitlin Sauder

We’re in the year many of you have already experienced – the year where you continually repeat, “This is the last time we’ll ________________ together.”

As we savored our Panera Bread bagels at breakfast this morning (a long-standing tradition where Dad sneaks out on birthday morning to bring bagels home for breakfast), we recited that line once again. “This is the last time we’ll eat bagels with Liv for her birthday.”  Next April she’ll be in Chicago at college.

Solutions to this dilemma: Ellie decided we should mail Panera to Liv at college. Ivy’s two cents involved eating Panera at home at the same time Olivia eats her bagels there. Drew stayed busy consuming today’s bagel. Finally a combined cranial effort produced the winning idea – skype Liv while we all eat bagels!

Realizing that 18 years ago the Lord entrusted us with a most precious and valuable treasure and that, in many ways, the job He instructed us to do then is now over – or at least entering a very different stage – brings Ecclesiastes to mind.

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.

A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclestiastes 3:1-8)

Seasons change. Lord, we thank you for what has been, for what is today and for all that is yet to come.

Happy birthday, Olivia. I love you, Mom