Proud of this girl

In case anyone missed the memo, middle school is not an easy place to spend all of one's time. There are challenges from start to finish each day. Being thirteen is not the simplest age to be either. Sometimes I say that these middle schoolers are trying to start discovering who they are. The truth is probably closer to - they just started realizing that they have no clue who they are. That's a lot harder than the other one, I think.

Anyway, I'm just really proud of Sophia. She works hard in school. She pays attention to her friends. She puts up with Erick and me and actually likes us most of the time. She loves adventure, though she loves predictability, too. She is not just one thing. She's many things, and I like them all.

It just felt like a day that I should mark the time. Things change so quickly. Young people are facing a lot of obstacles from outside and pressure from inside. At least, Sophia usually has that inner pressure going on. And she hangs on with maturity and grace more often than expected. I know this may not always be the case, and I won't be any less proud of her then.

Today, I'm feeling proud and amazed by this person in our house. So grateful to get to watch and occasionally participate in the development of one remarkable human person.
.