Is the Sun up yet?

My Charlie just turned 5.

She was so excited that she didn't want to go to bed the night before.
I told her, "The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner the Sun will come up and then it will be your birthday."
Needless to say, at 5:30 Tuesday morning I was greeted by one of the most precious things in my life, her sweet voice asking, "Mom, is the Sun up yet?"

Our family has been through a lot over the past month. We have suffered an incredible loss in the passing of Marcus' mom, a great woman who Charlie had an indescribable bond with. When you lose someone that you love so much it's easy to wallow in sorrow and sometimes it's a lot of work to keep yourself from winding up in a dark place. So far, we've all done a pretty good job managing, but there's a sadness that creeps up and we just have to find those things that make us happy- that light- wherever we can.

When my amazing little girl asked me if the Sun was up yet, I couldn't help thinking that that moment was one of those times. So I smiled a sleepy smile and replied, "As a matter of fact it is Sweetheart. As a matter of fact it is."

Here's a picture of my angel from her birthday party.