Coming Full Circle

The church where I grew up in Florence hosts a Mother/Daughter Banquet every year. This is an event that I remember attending many times with my mom and sister, and it was always a special night. On Friday night I was able to take my baby girl for the first time to this event with me which was kind of surreal. Mom, Madeleine and I had a great time together. The event had a 50s theme, and everything was decorated with pink and white balloons. Our supper was served in a pink convertible tray. There were some cute skits and then an inspirational speaker. She spoke on the importance of keeping a joyful spirit in life no matter your circumstances. I know I am guilty of letting myself get down in the mouth when life gets overwhelming, but I truly do have an amazing amount to be thankful for. There were several points in her testimony that hit home for me about trying to be more encouraging to others and letting God be God in my life. It was really a nice evening, and it was even more special because I got to share it with my baby girl and Mama. To top it all off, I won one of the MANY door prizes that they had to give away. I let Madeleine have my prize which was a bag of Mary Kay goodies. She has not stopped talking about her new makeup since we got home, and it was the first thing she had to show Micah and Daddy. Who knew sun screen and lip gloss could be so exciting? This is a picture of the ladies before we went inside the church. Could I smile any bigger? Seriously my smile span is out of control! And, it is so funny to see Madeleine try to act shy in this picture. Moments after this picture she was bellowing out the song, "Tis a Gift to Be Simple" (a song she is performing at school) for an impromptu performance for some ladies waiting in line. Shy...I think not.