Thankful

for the long-legged, frizzy-haired little girl who really isn't very little anymore as she climbs into my bed with a book in hand this morning wanting to be near me. "let's read together, mama," she says with a mixture of need and independence swirled together in her eyes. she has her own ideas, but tests them gingerly like stepping out on a frozen lake. she still looks to me for my approval, but she senses the drive and determination that spring up from within her. we have never clashed, though somewhere deep inside we know it will happen one day. it scares us both, so we sit closely reading our books, enjoying this moment.