Saturday, January 14, 2012

The Best is Yet to Be.....

Annie-Laurie,

Twenty years ago today, God gave me the first of my two most precious gifts....a beautiful baby girl!   And, through you,  He showed me a new level of love that I'd never experienced or thought possible!  I remember rocking you when you were just a few days old, and thinking, 'She's so wise!!'  It struck me then that to think that a newborn baby girl could seem 'wise' was a little absurd, but that thought didn't change my perception.  And, as it turns out, that perception was absolutely right on the mark!

As you began to evolve into the beautiful woman that you are, I was so proud to watch your inner beauty even outshine your outer beauty, while that mysterious wisdom which God instilled in you has continued to grow beyond your years.  On that first of your birthdays, if your life had been lain out before me, and I'd been given the opportunity to orchestrate it exactly as I would have wanted it, there would definitely have been events that I would have chosen to remove.  However, watching you walk through those events with grace and a faith that's deeper than I can imagine has made me prouder than you'll ever know! 

You've been absolutely everything I could have dreamed for a daughter to be all rolled up into one little person!  I love that you have the femininity to be so much of a 'girly-girl' that you like shoes even more than I do!  And yet you also have enough spunk to feel completely at home on a football practice field!  Precisely the perfect blend of sugar and spice!!  In several cases, you've proven to be 'the voice of reason' within our family, and in the face of circumstances that would have positively derailed most adults, you've managed to maintain your focus and your faith in God, only to become stronger!  I truly AM amazed by you!

Today, as you turn 20, I want to tell you 'thanks' for your patience and your compassion, for being a hero to your brother, and for stepping up to the plate when it would have been completely understandable for you to fall apart.  You're MY hero, too, and I love you more than you know!

While I'd love to 'plan' your next 80-or so years, God has taught me that He's a much better planner than I could ever hope to be, and I have no doubt that He's got all that covered.  So I'll just enjoy watching it all unfold!!  The best is yet to be, My Love!!!

Happy Birthday!!

XOXO
Momma

Friday, January 13, 2012

The 'Firsts'.....They Came and Went and We Can Still Smile!! (Sorry this one's so long!)

Well....we made it!!  The holiday season came and went, and we're feeling, as a family, as blessed as ever!  Thanksgiving was simply beautiful at my Aunt Judy and Uncle Bob's house:  1) simply because we were all together; and 2) because my Aunt Judy and Uncle Bob do nothing half-way!  It was perfect!  Though Annie-Laurie had football practice (I still crack up every time I say that!) on Thanksgiving morning, she was able go over to Jackson to enjoy dinner with us, and to spend the night.  MS State won the Egg Bowl the following Saturday, completing the almost-perfect holiday!!!

Though we initially didn't think that Annie-Laurie would be able to come home before Christmas, the MS State 'Football People' took a break on December 20th, and Annie-Laurie headed home.  Less than 30 minutes after she arrived, 'the girls' came, and I was carried back to their high school days, when our house was routinely filled with laughing girls.  What a treat that was!!  We spent Christmas Eve at my parents' house, and Annie-Laurie left Christmas morning to go to Nashville to prepare for the Music City Bowl.  I'm happy to report that, once again, MS State prevailed!!!  Annie-Laurie, for all practical purposes, 'slept off' the week through New Year's Eve, before we returned to Cape for the remainder of our break. 

On December 29th, we lost my Aunt Mimi, my dad's sister. While it wasn't unexpected, it was still difficult to say goodbye.  Her memorial service was held this past Saturday, January 7th, Chad's 18th birthday.  It was another one of those bittersweet times, as we were so sad to experiene another special day without Chad's physical presence, but were so blessed to be surrounded with family!  There WERE plenty of tears, but laughter, too, as we remembered Chad.....hard to think about him without laughing!

In remembering Chad on his birthday, I thought about all of the things that I wished for him to be when I knew that he was on his way to us.  I wanted a brown-eyed blonde ALL boy!  I wanted him to be masculine, yet sensitive.  I'm not sure if I specified 'funny', but since laughter is such an important element in my life, I suppose that may have just been understood.  Well....if you knew Chad, you know that I got exactly what I asked for!  Though his life was short, I believe with all of my heart that Chad completed the mission for which he was sent to earth.  I may never know specifically what that was, but I DO know that he touched lives while he was here.  And I know that his memory still makes many people smile....and sometimes laugh out loud!  What more could we possibly want for our children than to make people happy?  The only other thing that I can think that we would want is peace.  Today, as I write this, I am content in knowing that my son has both of those things.....the ability to bring smiles to the faces of those who knew him, and peace.  All IS right with the world.

Tomorrow, I will face the fact that I am the mother of a 20 year old!  Yes, Annie-Laurie turned 2 exactly a week after Chad was born!  I think that's possibly the only thing in my life that makes me appear organized!!!  Though I'd love to gloat that I planned it that way, I have to admit that it was pure chance!  Tomorrow, a blog devoted entirely to her on her day!!

Those of you who knew Chad, do me a favor, and take a second to remember something he did that made you smile!

Love to All......
J