She was born on May 29, 1983.

As the story goes, some of her earliest words were “My do it!”. That, in a nutshell, sums up the beautiful heart and life of my niece, Elizabeth Ashby.

Born to parents who had the wisdom early on to let her find her own way, she seemed to know—if not exactly where she was going—exactly how to get there. Quite a discovery for a young human, and one that would equip her for the life that was hers to live.

My do it.

It was this fierce determination that led her to volunteer to teach Italian to high school students because there was a need and no teacher to fill it. Don’t speak Italian? No problem. An Italian soap opera and plenty of good pasta and pizza helped her aspiring students find their Sicilian footing.

It was this same tenacity that emboldened her to take on the use of profanity by tough-guy students twice her size. Swear within her earshot? No problem. You get to perform the children’s song “I’m A Little Teapot” for us, right now, complete with hand motions.

Because she knew she could do it, she taught one final cross-fit class on her way to the hospital to give birth.

My do it.

A seven on the Enneagram, also known as the Enthusiast, she doesn’t just bring something to the party. She IS the party. She can make a picnic in any storm, turn a broken arm into a cause for celebration, transform a snafu into an adventure, and find a way to bring a spark of light into any darkness.

Being the one others can look to and rely on can be both deeply gratifying and quietly lonely. Which is why she needs and treasures those who do the same for her. She has learned first hand that being loved well means being seen, being heard, and being safe in the presence of another. This is the kind of love that she offers to others, because this is the type of love that she needs too.

Some with her strengths could become self-centered. Lizzy has, instead, cultivated the art of living from a centered self. It is her faith in her God that centers her, and like the Carpenter she loves, she offers extravagant welcome, loves without strings, and turns a a handful of loaves and fishes for the few into a feast for the many.

My do it.

Little did she know that those three words would lead that very small girl to a very big stage.Would call a woman who values her privacy and that of her family’s to live the most public of lives.

From those early words until now, hers has been an example of what Eugene Peterson calls “a long obedience in the same direction”. She discerns what is hers to do, and then goes about doing it. With all of her heart, and all of her soul, and all of her mind. And trusts that others will do the same.

Many Happy Returns, Lizzy.

Our world and my heart are better because of you.