4 siblings down, 4 to go! Next above Mary, is Celeste Rose. Age 12 (almost 13 in March). Sweet and creative fifth child.
“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”~Matthew 6:3-4
This little girl is probably five times as selfless and domestic than the majority of the students I’ve encountered at Grand Valley. Also, she is one of the quietest people I have ever known. The quiet part is hard, because of my outgoing personality, it’s difficult to be able to relate to her as much as I’d like. In spite of that though, Celeste has managed to put me in place on multiple occasions, in the gentlest way possible, without even trying.
Apparently there’s some psychology/science thing somewhere that says every four kids is like a set: the oldest is in charge, the two middle are just chillin, and then the fourth is sort of the baby of the set. Then, if you continue to have more kids, the fifth child starts the cycle over again and is the “oldest” and in charge of the second set of four kids. I hope that makes sense. It’s a weird concept to explain. Anyway, Celeste is the fifth child, and therefore takes it on as her responsibility to be in charge of and watch out for her younger siblings in the set. (The twins I’m counting as one, because Aaron is definitely the baby of the family, and his set.) So because of this strange phenomenon, Celeste naturally demonstrates a domestic attitude and motherly personality.
Before she was four years old, she already had three younger siblings. This taught her early on how to put herself aside and aid with the cooking, cleaning, and watching of small children. She is a massive help to my mom, and generally is always making the house a home and a more comfortable environment to live in. And all of this she does quietly, never asking for anything in return. Sometimes she will express complaint, but that’s only natural for a 12 year old who really would rather be reading alone her room or watching her beloved cooking shows on Netflix. But when I think of my sister, the verse above comes to mind. A lot of the time I’m afraid that she thinks no one notices the effort she puts in, or appreciates her contribution to the household; what I wish I could remind her of every day is that not only do myself and my mom recognize how hard she labors, but also her Father in heaven.
Jesus says in the Bible to work and pray silently and diligently, to not strut around and advertise what we are doing. We are told to do good in secret, and God will see everything and reward us greatly. My sweet Celeste sets the perfect example of how God instructs us to live: to love God by helping others, and to live a selfless life and trust that God will repay you in paradise. She has unknowingly given me conviction in this area countless times and constantly reminds me of the beauty of self sacrifice. I am truly, truly blessed to call this darling girl my sister.
So keep these words in mind my friends, and next to you hesitate to do someone a favor, remember there’s a twelve year old out there cooking gourmet meals a sick mother, watching her baby brother hours at a time, and crocheting little gifts for people without any particular reason, racking up her reward in heaven and ultimately winning at life. That’s all for now guys. Stay Sweet.
~Cassie
Cassidy Sangster 