For those of you who know my 5-year-old, Grace, you know what a handful she can be! She speaks her mind, is strong-willed and independent, and sometimes very resistant to discipline! Sometimes? OK, how about "all the time!" What you may not know is how incredibly loving, nurturing, and caring she is at the same time. Today Troy and I were both sick. I mean, SICK SICK. Me with a wicked stomach virus, Troy with some kind of respiratory funk. Grace was our nurse all day long. She played downstairs, watched movies, fed herself--nevermind that her meals consisted of cereal, brownies, and yogurt (in my defense, every time I tried to get out of bed, I ended up in the bathroom, hugging the toilet). And every time Troy or I called her name, she rushed to our side and met every need. "Grace, can you get me a Jolly Rancher?" "Grace, Mommy needs a cold rag for her head." "Grace! Telephone!" You name it, she did it. When she finally crawled in bed tonight, she said to me, with a big grin on her face, "I love you Mommy. I'm sorry you're sick. Mommy, when I grow up, I want to be a nurse, so I can help sick people like I helped you and Troy today."

Handful or not, she is a blessing from God Most High, and I can't imagine my life without her.