There is something tender about watching your children grow up. It happens so slowly that sometimes you do not even notice it happening. The toys disappear from their rooms. The princess dresses stop being worn. The little hands that once reached instinctively for yours begin to let go. Their voices change. Their interests change. They become more aware of the world around them and perhaps a little more careful about what they allow themselves to believe in. And somewhere along the way, you begin to wonder where that little child went. But every once in a while, if you are lucky, you get a glimpse of them again.
I saw her on Main Street at Disney World. She was standing right beside me in the body of my twelve year old daughter, but for a few beautiful moments, I could see the little girl inside of her again. The parade had begun and Main Street was glowing. Music filled the air. Lights shimmered against the darkness. As the Disney characters of her childhood began making their way down the street, something in her changed. Her eyes softened. They lit up with wonder and excitement. My momma heart could hardly take it. 
One by one, characters she had known and loved since she was little passed in front of us. She smiled at them with the sweetest, gentlest smile. She lifted her hand and gave the cutest little wave, almost as though she were the only person standing along that crowded street. Maybe, for just a moment, she believed she was. Then Mickey Mouse came by. He looked toward her and pointed. She immediately pointed back at herself, almost asking, “Me?” Mickey nodded. Then he placed his hands over his heart. And she giggled. That beautiful, innocent little girl giggle. He had seen her. Out of all the people lining Main Street, Mickey Mouse had seen her. In that moment, the magic had worked and that was all that mattered.
I stood beside her watching the light in her eyes, and something inside of me softened too. Because suddenly I was not just watching my daughter remember what it felt like to be a child. I was remembering too. I remembered the days when Minnie Mouse was my world. I remembered believing that somewhere out there was a Prince Charming meant just for me. I remembered wishing I could sprinkle a little pixie dust and fly away with Tinker Bell. I remembered believing in castles and princesses and happy endings. I remembered what it felt like to look at the world and believe that anything might be possible. 
Perhaps we are not meant to grow completely out of that. Perhaps there is a reason childhood leaves little pieces of itself tucked away inside of us. Perhaps the magic is what keeps us wishing on stars long after we are old enough to know how far away they really are. Perhaps it is what keeps us dreaming when life becomes ordinary. Perhaps it is what reminds us to believe in things we cannot yet see. To hope for beautiful things. To look toward the sky every once in a while and make a wish.
Standing there beside my daughter, I felt some of that childhood innocence wake up inside of me too. For a few precious moments, we were both little girls. We 
were princesses, together. The castle was real. The stars were ours to wish upon. And magic was everywhere. I looked at the beautiful girl standing beside me, growing so quickly into the young woman she is becoming, and I was grateful. Grateful that underneath all of that growing there is still a tender little girl who can be swept away by a parade. Grateful for the new shine in her eyes. Grateful for the minnie mouse ears she wasn’t too old to still wear. Grateful for her little wave. Grateful for the giggle that escaped when Mickey Mouse chose her from the crowd. And I was grateful that I got to stand there beside her and remember the princess within me too.
One of the greatest gifts of raising children is that sometimes, while we are watching them grow up, they remind us of the parts of ourselves we never needed to outgrow. Wonder. Imagination. Innocence. Hope. The courage to dream big and wish upon a star. Magic. There I was, standing beneath the lights of Main Street with my sweet daughter beside me and my own Prince Charming with his arms wrapped around me, getting lost for just a little while in the magic of it all.
Thank you, God, for that moment. Thank you for the little girl still living inside my daughter. Thank you for the little girl still living inside of me. Thank you for wishes and stars and castles and pixie dust and dreams. Thank you for reminding me that growing older does not have to mean growing out of wonder. And thank you, God, for the magic.
I love you, Savannah!
still becoming,
Juli
