Sweet 16

She has been 16 for over 48 hours. I'm still not used to it. Yesterday I found myself looking at her more closely. She seems older, more independent. Maybe it's just my heart that sees her that way, I'm not sure.

This age, this birthday, feels different. I can't put my finger on the specifics, I just seem aware of it. It's like some invisible milestone has been reached, and now she has stepped over into territory that carves out her own path. One that stretches her farther away from me. Maybe that's the part that is hard to acknowledge. That simultaneous fear and joy of your child making their own way. All on their own.

She is such an amazing and inspiring young woman. Truly.

Happy Sweet 16 my Samantha.