Caught between corndogs and cosmetics….

I was in my twelve year old daughter’s room recently and came across this makeup organizer.  It held just three items – a lip gloss, a makeup brush and a corndog stick (the corndog was long gone).  I sat there and stared at it for a little bit, reflecting on how fast she is growing up.  I couldn’t help but think how perfectly this one little container summed her up at this stage of her life.  She is equal parts clumsiness and grace; curiosity and compassion; mischievousness and ambition; girl and young lady.  At many moments, she’s twelve going on 20.  She spends hours in her room giggling with her girlfriends while they watch YouTube videos about makeup application (she can do a winged eye better than I’ve ever been able to!).  She is looking so forward to being a full-blown teenager and is racing in that direction a lot faster than I’d like.  But I still glimpse the little girl often.  She lays her head on my shoulder while we’re sitting on the couch; she wants me to rub her tummy when she doesn’t feel well and she hangs on fiercely to her beloved stuffed animals.  Behind the stunning façade that appears years older than it actually is, still beats the heart of just a girl.  This morning on our way to the car, we passed a pile of old crunchy leaves.  I turned around to see her jumping up and down on them.  She was absolutely joyful – delighting in the noise she was making and giggling the whole time.  I’m still smiling about it hours later.  My sweet, sweet girl.