Rachelle

 Yesterday it was the first day of 2023. It was my kind of January day. 66 the car thermometer read. 

Christmas weekend was take your breath away cold. 

Wind chills had it feeling like single digits and many people lost power. 

This spring like first day of January was perfect. 

The sky seemed bright contrasted with the foggy, gloomy day that marked the last day of 2022.

I could think of several roses from this day, but the one I'll pick is Rachelle.

Rachelle is a sweet girl we have had the pleasure of knowing since she was 12. 

She was a middle schooler in our pervious youth group and we watched her grow up and graduate high school. After we switched churches we kept the friendship. Texts, restaurant visits, birthday parties, Christmas and Thanksgiving reunions. 

She and my daughter are 12 years a part and she and I are 11 years apart. So in a way she seems like a middle sister. 

She spent countless hours after Wednesday night church playing with our kids when she was in middle and high school. She would join in their imaginary play and pretend like she was one of them. 

When we switched churches I could always count on her to be the first person to send a Happy Birthday Text to me and the kids bright and early. In fact she remembers dates and events about our lives often times better than I do. 

She showers our kids with gifts at Christmas. Yesterday we had our Christmas with Rachelle. She was like Santa Clause with a red Target sack full of gifts picked with intention and all of their preferences in mind. 

After we had chatted for a long time and visited the kids rooms to play with toys and hang out with the teenagers, she played cards with the kids for hours. I laid on the couch and listened to them laughing. Happiness was tangible. 

She has always cared so much about them. It's rare to find a teenager who treats kids who aren't in their own family with so much kindness and attention, but it's real with Rachelle.

We are so proud of Rachelle. She works at a church as an administrators assistant to the children's department. It's the perfect job for her because she has a magical quality with children. They adore her.

Another petal in the rose last night was all of the videos she has saved on her phone of my kids over the years. They replayed some of the classics from years gone by and they all shared lots of laughter and memories. She is a master at Sponge Bob quotes and Grinch impersonations and what kid doesn't love that? 

Rachelle is a treasure to our family and a dear friend to me.