I'd like to share.............

[Gizmo]

...........something my little 10-year-old daughter wrote. It was for a school assignment.

Things that tell about me.
What is gray, white, and has a long tail?...A gray and white gerbil! It's my mom's gerbil. I love them. They are so cute. My friend, Shelby, had a gerbil. Her name is Sunshine. Shelby also had a hamster named Oreo. Speaking of hamsters, my mom has two of them. They are important to me. They are important to me because they help me learn responsibility.
First of all, I love animals. I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up. I have three dogs, two cats, two hamsters, and a gerbil. You can see I'm an animal lover because I have eight animals. I would have had more if they hadn't died. I miss them all. Next, there are the books. Ahhhhh how I love to read! Ever since second grade, I've love to read books about snakes. They are soooooo fascinating. Snakes have been here since the Ice Age. Wow!
Fascinating, isn't it.
After that, there is my family. Everyone but my sister loves me. My sister's name is Cecillia Marie Richards, but we call her Cece, which is short for her first name. My brother's name is Charles Anthony Christian Richards, but we call him Tony for short. My mom's name is Susan Marie Richards. My dad's name is David Christian Lynn Richards. My grandma's name is Sue Anne Vance. My name is Kristin Leigh Richards.
Everything I've told you about is important to me. I've had my family my whole life. I love my animals. We got the gerbil yesterday. We got the hamsters five days before. We've had our dogs and cats for years. I will always love them, and when their dead, I will treasure them in my heart.
The End.

[Gizmo]

I should point out that, while she thinks she might have more pets if they hadn't died, her Dad is of the opinion that she has more than she needs and will not have any more. LOL

Anyway, the reason I posted this is because I was floored to see something like this come from my 10-year-old.

The level of thought and feeling and expression betrayed by this seemingly innocent missive just caught me completely unawares. You can see the child, but you can also begin to see the formation of the adult that she will become. I'm very proud of her.

Oh, and for the record, her sister DOES love her. But Cece is 18, and frequently babysits Kristin and Tony. That tends to create a bit of friction.

[Daniel ~]

You've got to love someone that starts out to tell about themselves, only to be side tracked by the love of gerbils!

A charming insight into the heart of innocence.":O}

[Logan]

LOL!!! Watch out, buddy! Sounds like you've got the makings of a fireball there! She sounds like an awesome kiddo.

[Gizmo]

Yeah, I pity the poor boy who captures my little girl's heart. He's going to have a handfull. You missed the thread I had about this a while back, but Kristin is one of those people who has a rare gift:

When she is happy, the clouds part, the sun shines, the flowers blossom, the birds sing. When she is unhappy, it's like a scene from Dante's Inferno. She RADIATES her emotions. It's the wildest thing I've ever seen. I mean, most people you can tell when they are feeling bad or good by their facial expressions and such, but with this child, all you have to do is be in PROXIMITY and you can FEEL her mood.