14!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Amara Pearl Josephine is 14.

How the heck does this happen? Yes, I know, I say the same thing every year but life really does fly by. And now my girl is 14!

Amara is amazing.  And anyone who knows her would agree. But she is more than just amazing. 

Amara is bright star, who brightens our world. She has endless curiosity. She has a big, caring heart. She is thoughtful. Sometimes not so much but mostly she is! Amara is an extraordinary hard worker. She can push herself too hard (causing painful moments for us all) but that drive and desire has meant that Amara is a young lady that stands out from the rest. She cares about school, the earth, her family and friends. She makes sure she does right and fair by others. She is inclusive. She is annoying. Mostly, she is great fun to be around. She gives things her full attention and energy. Amara has big dreams and I suspect she will met many of those dreams.

In the past pandemic year, Amara did school from home until the past few weeks. Even with distance learning, she remained a leader in her class. She got her work done, all while turning applications for independent high schools, months before their deadline. She arranged community service projects that helped clean up trash in her town and she spent many an hour hiking and enjoying the natural world. Amara loves to find bones of animals and antlers from deer. She will also come home with a bag of trash she picked up along the way. This speaks volumes of how she sees the world and her place and role on the planet.

Amara takes pride in how she looks. Her hair, clothing and accessories given much time and effort. Her room is usually clean, organized and creatively decorated. She follows a few trends but mostly marches to her own beat. I love that about her.

I love alot about Amara and I love all the things we do together. Walks, cooking, shopping and talking about both mundane matters and things more meaningful and profound.  Amara is always ready for an adventure and willing to try new things. Amara makes a great traveling companion. I could do without occasional talking back, the teenage eye rolling and the self-focused behaviors at the moments, especially when I am in the middle of something important. But mostly, I am so deeply, deeply grateful to have Amara as part of my life. She is by far, a very special person, one who is going to go far in life doing good things for this world and I am blessed to call her my daughter.

Happy Birthday Amara Pearl~