It’s so easy to get mired down by the worries that sometimes I forget to talk about all the awesome things that make Gracie amazing. She is such a gift. She has an understanding of the world that far exceeds her four short years. She is able to connect with people almost instantly, winning hearts wherever she goes. She is an old soul, a phrase that describes her perfectly and terrifies me because she might leave this world before I’m ready to let her go.

But back to the good stuff. For the past few months, Gracie has really been into making up songs. She sings in stream of consciousness – lyrics can include scenes from “Frozen,” talking about the dog entering the room, or made-up stories about anything and everything. She experiments with vocal modulation, first singing softly, then dramatically crescendoing to loud highlights, then backing off and singing more quietly again. She is a little superstar. I can just picture her throwing her arms out on stage, belting out the high notes like a blond Bette Midler.

Despite her natural musical abilities, Gracie does not want to be a diva. Grace has decided she wants to be a doctor. Although it’s hard to imagine her keeping up with the rigors of medicine, one thing Gracie has taught us is she is only limited by our expectations of her. Be it through medicine or music, some day Gracie will change the world.