Ya’el Ariel Ruth, today you are 12 years old.  You are entering into middle school in the fall and your height and changing moods have reminded me time and time again, that you are definitely a middle-schooler now

Even though another middle school is here for me to manage, yet another Harney girl being overtaken by vastly daily changing hormones, I have to say that as of now, your transition has been one that I am thankful for.  I might still be recovering from your two older sister’s and have been bracing for your change with caution and not wanting to set off any bombs.

There are still moments where I can’t help but think of you with your little bomb and dark brown skin.  Your chubby cheeks and black eyes, with your gentle smile, it melted everyone’s hearts.  People couldn’t stop telling you that you looked like Boo from Monsters Inc or the name you didn’t like was Dora the Explorer.  But it was when they experienced your willingness to be silly and dance to any song or to laugh with your belly at any joke or silly action, those were the moments that people couldn’t wait to be in your sphere.

Those years of being little are gone and thankful not a distant memory, I lived your tiny years with so much intentionality, realizing that I had let the years fly with the older siblings. Plusyou had your big brother wrapped around your finger and I found that he was a big reason why I was able to be so intentional with you, he helped me so much with you and your sisters.

You are now taller than your Naani, the mark of when you truly leave the child years behind.

This year I have watched you enter into the tweens like every girl does.  When your crush invited you over one day after school, I saw the temperature rise in your father as he realized, he now had a 3rd Harney girl to ward off the boys.  You also started to worry more about your attire and put aside the clothes that little girls wear.  I will never forget when you styled your hair, put on jewelry and colored lip gloss that I held my breath, you are already so beautiful and here I was getting a glimpse of the growing young woman you are.

I love your literal brain at times, it makes it easy to answer questions, however your questions can find my last nerve.  Watching movies that have twists and plots…your unending questions can push me over the edge.  You have to know, you have to have meaning, you are so curious about relational interactions and doing the right thing.

My proudest moment was when you were experiencing gossip in your friend group.  You came home and told me what you did.  You told the girl to not speak about others and things they had no business talking about. You told her that her words were harmful and that you would walk away from the conversation if she kept talking about the person.  You did all of this infront of your other friends.  Not worried about the cost of standing out and against the norm, but instead focused on integrity and kindness.

Integrity is so deeply woven in you.  You do the right thing, even when people aren’t watching.  The list of adults that have come to be and said “Ya’el is such a thoughtful person”, it’s pretty long.  Kindness, it’s evident of your faith in Jesus.  Because you know the importance of loving others and how Jesus has called you to love like Him.  I don’t ever worry about you being mean to others, because it’s not in you.  You respect others and give them dignity that I wish adults would live out.

We didn’t know what to think when you decided you wanted to wrestle.  How could tender and kind Ya’el find a fighter spirit?  I didn’t think you could do it, your dad however saw something I didn’t.  When you realized you couldn’t wrestle because your school didn’t have a team and the policy said you couldn’t wrestle for the other school’s team, you took action.  You braved the podium at the Borough Assembly meeting requesting the policy to be changed.  The microphone was taller than you.  But your Spirit was taller.  We watched you take first place in your first meet and you proved to me to never make assumptions about you.

It was during our recent tragedy in our family that I was reminded of who and how God is shaping your story.  The loss of your cousin is still something I can barely talk about without crying and you have been the one Harney to watch all my movements.  I walk into the door and I see you assess me.  I sit down and you are quickly there to rub my back and ask me “how are you doing today?”.  When I have let myself feel all the things, it was you standing right next to me during his slideshow at his celebration of life, holding me up and rubbing my back, while your aunt Sue was on the other side.  When someone asked me how I was holding up, I told them of how you have cared for my soul in mature ways that I would see from an adult, I told them, “Ya’el is another healer in our family lineage”.

Hearing that you are a vital volunteer in our kids’ ministry at church and how you are reliable, mature, kind and can take care of the littles, it makes my heart so proud.  Your gentleness has allowed for moms with clingy babies and toddlers, be able to sit in the sermon without them, because their babies find refuge in your arms.

I am aware that this year as you approach womanhood will come with moments of me having to put myself in time out and remember that your brain and hormones are fluctuating and changing at rates.  I promise boo, that I will try really hard to honor you and remember that deep inside of you, your kindness, your integrity, your love for others’, your ability to be a healer, won’t change.

We can’t wait to keep watching you grow into the young woman you are becoming…however your dad would like you to pump the breaks on your crush…but atleast your criteria and explanation couldn’t match his list of no’s.  You informed both of us that you would not entertain any boy unless he went to church, loved Jesus, was kind to his family and others and that you had no interest in holding his hand because that is for when you’re older…there you are being wise beyond years.

We love you boo, welcome to the tween year! I pray this year that God keeps showing you how to stand out in the crowd and point others to respect, love and care.  I pray that God protects your heart as you get exposed to things from other tween and teens and that you know you have a mama that is ready to talk about any burning question you have, uncomfortable or not!  I pray that you keep serving in ways that is shaping your understanding that a life of service is a life well lived.  I pray that you have friends that see the gift you are and treasure you as much as we do.  I pray that God keeps you firmly rooted in His word and you keep Him at the center of everything you face!