The day before yesterday, our good friend Kate Barrow gave birth to a beautiful new daughter named Anneka. She did show up a tiny bit ahead of schedule – the very day that Caritas was supposed to be singing for an evening program at another church in town. But Kathy, Chip and I hobbled along as best we could and then couldn’t wait to get to the hospital to congratulate Jeff and Kate and help to welcome this little bundle of joy into the world.
That was the day before yesterday. Yesterday Anneka turned 18. Just how such a thing is possible, I can’t begin to tell you. Perhaps the earth tilted strangely on its axis or was drawn into the vortex of some transformative black hole. All I know is that one day she was sleeping peacefully in her bassinet- and the very next day she was blowing out 18 candles on her birthday cake. Bewildering does not begin to describe it!
Rather than thinking about time hurtling by, I would much rather think about all that makes Anneka an uncommonly wonderful young woman – and I was so glad that Jeff and Kate chose to make that the focus of her birthday party last night. Right before we sat down to a splendid meal of homemade lasagna (that was what the birthday girl asked for) we crowded into the kitchen and kitchenette to share our thoughts about Anneka… and nobody in that circle was allowed to abstain. And nobody wanted to! 🙂 By the way, it spoke volumes that the people who were invited to that birthday party…. all chosen by Anneka herself….. were a neat mixture of young and old, peers and mentors, family and friends, and a mere sampling of all of the people who are near and dear to her. That’s one thing I love about Anneka- that she has always had this appreciation for and been comfortable with people beyond her own circle of peers, and I can’t think of anything that enriches a human life more than being surrounded by, learning from, and inspired by a rich variety of human beings.
Anneka is also an intriguing mix of earnestly serious and riotously funny…. or as I put it last night when it was my turn to talk (towards the very end when I felt like I should keep it short) Anneka has always been uncommonly mature and responsible for her age – but that maturity has been wrapped around a childlike sense of wonder and delight that she has never lost and I pray never does.
But if anything was the predominant theme in all that was said about Anneka last night, it was her compassionate spirit- and especially her sensitivity to those around her who are hurting or who need a special friend. Anneka has been there for peers who have gone through truly horrific difficulties at home – and has fearlessly reached out to befriend kids who might be just different enough to be left on the periphery of their social circle. In a world where adolescents can be incredibly cruel with their who’s in/ who’s out mentality, Anneka has always been a shining example of how we are meant to treat one another. And this is not just her admittedly biased godfather’s opinion. As we went around the room last night, young person after young person spoke with trembling sincerity of the profound difference Anneka had made in their lives. It was absolutely awe-inspiring. And at some point, it dawned on me that there are so many people in this world. . . both adults and adolescents. . . who are caught up in all of the wrong things, believing that it really matters how cool your clothes are or how much you weigh or what kind of a car you drive or how many trophies are on your shelf or how impressive your stock portfolio is. What was so abundantly clear from the testimony of Anneka’s family and friend was that none of that matters nearly as much as making a difference in the lives of other people. You do that and you’re richer beyond your wildest dreams.
One more thing about the day. It ended with a great party but it started with an incredibly moving moment at church when the senior choir sang Carolyn Jennings’ “Climb to the top of the highest mountain” with Anneka singing the solo. The very first time the choir sang this anthem was on the occasion of Anneka’s baptism, 18 years ago.
Or was it yesterday?
pictured above: Just some of the party guests serenading Anneka with “Happy Birthday.” At the left is the birthday girl. Left to right in the front row: family friend Val Conner, Kate (the proud, happy mom), Pastor Bill Grimbol, and Kathy (the proud, happy godmother.) You can’t tell from the photo, but trust me; the guests were hanging from the rafters!