Tia Gina...

So last weekend was the birthday of one of our very favorite people around this place...one we've come to refer to as Tia Gina. So when I told the kids it was her birthday I think it was Mario who piped up first and said, "can we have a party for her?" Well how in the world do you say no to that? So we began preparations and I had to be in the city for the afternoon so I told the kiddo's to clean up the house a bit and to write her a card or do something special for her whatever they wanted to do and that I would bring her home with me when I came in a little while. On the way out the door I hear one of them yell, "don't forget the pinata." See when we have a party around this place, we always have a pinata, it's just that usually the parties are for someone under 10 but I thought you know what, they want to throw her a party, they want a pinata, we shall have a pinata. So I bought a Mickey Mouse pinata, (Tia Gina loves Disneyworld) and a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake (Heavens have you all tasted that thing, it is a piece of Heaven on earth) and we had us a par-tay!! Here are some pictures from the evening. I'm not sure who had more fun, the kiddo's or Tia Gina.

It's not often that you get a pinata for your 34th birthday party but such are the benefits of being way special to a group of 16 kiddo's who believe that a birthday party does indeed include a pinata.

So before the night was over, Cindy came up and whispered in my ear..."We need to sing Tia Gina our song" because it's what we do at their birthday parties. At the end of the birthday we all gather around and we sing..."Who loves (and on this occasion Tia Gina) Who loves Tia Gina, we all do, we all do, we all love Tia Gina, we all love Tia Gina, yes we do, yes we do." So all 16 little voices, including Miss Maryuri who LOVES that song hummed along filling in the words that she could and it was precious and then Luvin asked me if he could say a prayer for Tia Gina. He's our prayer boy in the bunch. He says beautiful prayers, he really does, so he asked God to keep Tia Gina safe and thanked Him for the blessing she is to all of us and asked Him to give her another year of life that is good, and it was sweet stuff. Then Tia Gina got hugs and kisses - 16 to be exact and it was time for bed.

You know I've learned and maybe my kiddo's are learning it too, that it's not difficult to serve a servant. We had so much fun attempting to give something back to Tia Gina for all that she gives to all of us. To my kiddo's she is an aunt extraordinaire and they adore her. When she is around it's fun times, they play Herbie in the car, she hugs and kisses all over them, she calls them precious and special and they eat it up. To me, she has become one of my dearest friends on the planet and a sister to my heart. She has allowed me to be a part of her family when my own is sooooo far away and words really don't do justice to the blessing of that. She has given me the gift of a prayer warrior that I can go before God with and I have missed that so much since coming here.

You know you pray when you have your own children (and these are as close to mine as they can get) that they will have the blessing of being invested in by great people. Great people meaning those that love God and stand for what's right, who impact their world just by being present in it, people who love those around them, who are servants when they see the opportunity, etc. I watch the investments into these sweet hearts that I adore by this great one that I have the privilege to know and I am humbled to my knees that God is so kind.

Thank you Miss Gina, for what you mean to each of us. You are a huge part of this family God has built here and we love you so very very much!!