Every Day's A Blessing: Ava Joy

Today we celebrated Ava turning 6 years old. And boy did we CELEBRATE! For months now all Ava has asked for is to have her birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. I cannot begin to describe how desperately I tried to talk her out of it. In the end, I decided to give my daughter the party she so greatly desired as my own gift to her. And, truth be told, it was a great time. She only invited a few friends - 6 other kids besides my own, all who had at least one parent stay with them. We had the party today since the kids didn't have school, but it was late morning and therefore the place was not very crowded. Everyone had a great time, and Ava got the full Chuck E. Cheese birthday experience: the inflatable crown with tokens inside, trying the ticket blaster, dancing with Chuck E. Cheese and being sung to by him before blowing out her candles.

It was during the party that I was reminded of one of the things I love most about my oldest daughter. We knew two of the girls she had invited couldn't make it, and had been unsure about two others. It ended up that neither of our maybes came to the party. At one point, Ava wondered out loud where one of them was. I just said they probably ran late with their other obligations. She never said another word about it. She didn't whine that there weren't more people there for her birthday. She wasn't at all upset when she "only" had about 5 presents to open. There was never a moment when Ava focused on a negative part of the day. Ava is one of the most positive people I know. She is always looking at the silver lining. She doesn't focus on what's not going right, but rather on what's working out. Her friends range from neighbors to schoolmates to dance friends; kids her age, a few years older, and teenagers; boys and girls (finally!), varying in race, religion, and every other difference you can imagine. Ava sees into people's hearts, finds the good, and latches onto that. She knows no stranger, only a friend she needs to get better acquainted with. She is empathetic, energetic, bubbly, intelligent, independent... I could go on. She has shown me how to be a good parent, flourishing in my triumphs and forgiving me my mistakes. Today was a darn near perfect day for the birthday girl, and I hope the future holds hundreds and thousands more days just like it for her, for no one is more deserving.