A Friend of Her Own

All year Eliana has been wishing she had a 'friend her own age'.  All the girls that have lived nearby have been at least two years younger than she, and so she has graciously learned to play happily with the boys, and the younger girls.  This past month she has been totally blessed by our host family, and their 13 year old daughter, Élise-Anne.  Even though Élise-Anne is 3 years older than Eliana, she has such a thoughtful attitude toward all the 'little girls' in the house, that she is constantly thinking of fun things that she can do with them.  Whether it means taking them all down to the creek in the backyard, or watching a movie with them, or tying up their hair in rag curlers, she doesn't seem to mind their younger company.  She even totes Noa around, taking her to visit the cats and jump on the trampoline.  One of Eliana's most common prayers lately has been "Thank you for my friend Élise-Anne."  Today, knowing that we would not have many more days to spend together, Élise-Anne made a special tea party for the girls, dressed them up in lovely dresses, fixed their hair and make-up, and even baked a special cake for them.  It is just one of the ways that she has blessed our family.  We will really miss our Canadian host family, but I think Eliana will miss her new friend the most.