Seven

 SEVEN!

At 7, she is funnier than I care to admit, more dramatic than Meryl Streep, smarter than she has a right to be and sassier than I could ever imagine.

Athena  is starting to lose her baby parts. Tooth by tooth she takes baby steps closer to the adult world. Year by year she takes giant
steps from the shelter of childhood.

For now, the magic of life still clings to her. The certainty that she is loved and loveable are the cornerstones of her universe.

One day last week as we walked to school hand-in-hand she suddenlty stopped on the sidewalk and waited for her dead weight to halt me.  When the limited length of our arms forced me to turn I
found Athena looking at me thoughtfully. Satisfied that she had my full attention, she raised her right leg and ever so dramatically allowed it to dangle before swinging it forward and deliberately stepping on the crack.  Perplexed, I watched her crumble in a fit of giggles before regaining her composure and asking in a sweetly syrupy voice: "So Mom, how is your back today?"

Every day is like that. Every day has a moment when Athena's unexpected sassiness or flare for the dramatic stops us dead in our tracks, breath held as we wait for the pause to be overtaken by the fit of laughter which always lays on the other side.

And just when you think you know all there is to know about this remarkable child, she displays a deep sensitivity for the environment and humanity creating insightfully heartfelt prayers which I wish I had thought to pray myself.

Happy Birthday Little Girl!