From the Editor

ON THE COVER

Beyond Her Years

Nine-year-old Evan Riley is Shelby County’s newest up-and-coming musician. She has performed across the South and has been dubbed “The Next Taylor Swift” by some. Photo by Kelsea Schafer Design by Connor Martin-Lively JJacob, my almost-walking infant, has learned just how fast he can crawl down the hallway. During my first magazine’s publishing, Jacob had not even learned to stand on his own, much less crawl. Now, he refuses any help as he teeter-totters a few feet before plopping down.

Over a year ago, I learned I would become a mother. What is a mother, really? She has so many responsibilities. Surely, it’s more than spooning sweet potatoes in her kid’s mouth or wiping snotty noses. It’s most certainly more than giving birth or adopting a child as her own. When I found out about Jacob, I couldn’t answer that question for you. I was terrified at the thought of bringing a child into this world because I was— and still am— young, inexperienced and always questioning everything. As I piece together this edition’s stories, I remember the “mothers” who helped raise me. Linda Harper, whose story we tell on page 11, first taught me as a young child what it meant to have a heart of worship. I grew up in the Inverness Vineyard Church off Valleydale Road, and Linda, for as long as I can remember, has invested in the children’s ministry as a mother to hundreds. She used to teach melody makers, which was a children’s music class. When I first asked Linda about being featured, she explained to me that it wasn’t “Hot Cross Buns” on the recorder that made the kids love her class. It was the fellowship. It was all the mothers coming together just for an hour a week, so that their kids could enjoy playing and singing together about Jesus’ love. In the midst of the chaotic screams and little feet racing around, children learned they were loved; not just by their mothers, but by God, too. Linda told me that no mother is ever perfect, but one thing a mother can do is teach her children how loved they are. Of all a mother’s responsibilities, love outweighs the rest. That’s the most important feeling in the world, right? Love? Growing up knowing that you’re loved allows you to love others more easily. That is the love that Patrick and Heather Loftus talk about on page 19 as they dote on their daughter, Evan. Evan, a rising singer-songwriter, happens to be the ripe, bold age of 9. Nine years old! Evan has accomplished more than some do in their 20s, and she’s half that age. I can only imagine how if everyone grew up that nourished and cared for, how much lovelier the world would be. Just like Patrick and Heather, I too, am beaming with pride at every milestone Jacob hurdles over. I can’t promise to be perfect whether as a mom or an editor, but I can promise to love what I do and to do what I love to the best of my ability. From one mother to another, thank you for reading.

Blessings,