Oh, to be 18 again!!

Would you be 18 again if given the chance? Just one day?

Yesterday was my step-daughter's 18th. birthday. She is a senior in high school and is a beautiful young lady.

Dear Lyndsey,

Wow! Where to start? I have been thinking a lot over the past few weeks about you turning 18! An adult!! How did that happen? When I was reminiscing, I thought back to those first few weeks with you. You were the "baby" that a lot of people took to raising. Because we were all so young when we had you, a lot of close personal friends took care of you like you were theirs. Daddy was 19 when you were born and had just graduated high school when he found out he would be a daddy. Needless to say, it was a shocker. He was only a year older than you are now when you were born. Because of the circumstances, daddy and I didn't start getting you for weekends until you were 9 months old. A lot happened that first year or so, but we all learned together. Even with the shock of daddy finding out that he was going to be a father, you were the best thing that ever happened to him. He still tears up at that country song, "There goes my life". That song is so about him.

Anyway, I think about the sleepless nights (you didn't sleep all night until around age 2). You were just so busy and didn't have time for sleeping. When you did sleep, you woke us up on the weekends by rattling your baby bed and shaking it across the floor. Your smile was and is still infectious. You smiled A LOT. We loved that! You walked very early b/c like I say, you were so busy. You just had to go. When you were a toddler, you loved Barney. Oh yikes! We knew every Barney song ever sang on the show and you would dance and dance every time a song started playing. One time at Easter, you were just barely able to reach the counters and you pulled a whole cup of blue egg dye on top of you. You were stained blue for days and we called you Baby Smurf. It really wasn't funny at the time, but now that I think back it is! I remember you starting kindergarten, middle school, high school, dancing for 10 years, and your first and only beauty pageant. You didn't win, but you lit up the stage that night. You took your frilly little dress and rubbed it all over your face right in the middle of the stage. It was too cute.

I really just wanted to tell you how proud I am of the beautiful young lady you have become. I know I am not your mom, but I love you like the daughter you are to me and always will be. You make daddy and I proud to be your parents. Keep working hard and enjoy your last year of high school.

How blessed I am, you are my daughter and also my friend!! I love you and Happy Birthday, Zee!!

Wendy

Greetings from Heaven

This past weekend we decided at the last minute to take a trip to Ruby Falls and to see Rock City in Chattanooga Tennessee. The family got to enjoy seeing lots of beautiful scenery which we thoroughly enjoyed. Tori-bug was not on her best behavior, but we enjoyed the day nonetheless. I had been to Ruby Falls about 25 years ago (and no, I am not THAT old). It was when I was about 10 years old. When didn't go to Rock City that trip that I remember. The rest of the family had been to neither place so it was a real treat. On the way home, we were talking about how blessed we were as a family and "how can you not believe in God when you see such beautiful sights?" Right about the same time the bottom dropped out on us and it started pouring down rain. It rained really hard for about 10 minutes and then a complete rainbow formed in the sky. It was so cool, like a reminder that God was saying to us that He was there.

Sunday we were so exhausted from all the walking that we took a nap after church. I love Sunday naps. It came up a bad thunderstorm so that made for an even better nap. Life is great!

Now, I want to tell you another story......

I found a bookmark in my grandmother's Bible on Sunday. Two bookmarks actually, just alike. One was written out To: Jean and one was written out To: Winford. My grandparents names and written by my grandmother. My grandmother died in 2004 and I lost my grandfather in April this year. I read almost every day. I thought, "How cool is this?" I am going to use this bookmark for the book that I am reading. I guess my granddaddy was on my brain when I went to bed since I read mostly at bedtime. Let me go back a little and say that my grandparents had this old clock on their wall for my entire life. It is a wind up clock and chimes ever how many times that it is that hour and chimes once for the half hour. Somehow before my grandfather passed away the clock was not chiming the right amount of times for that hour so when my grandfather passed away I asked my mom if I could have the clock. Of course she said I could so I brought it home and placed it propped up against the wall in my living room. My thought was that I would take it to a clock maker and try to get it fixed to chime the right amount of times. I never once heard it chime in the 4 months since my grandfather passed away. It has sat in my living room for the past 4 months. I really thought the clock was now broken completely and now I really wanted to get it fixed so I put in in the back of my SUV about 2 weeks ago. I have not found anybody to fix the clock. I dream of my grandfather a lot. I don't know why I dream of him in particular so often, but I do. I think about him constantly. Anyway, yesterday morning I was driving to work and I heard a "ding, ding, ding". I turned the radio down and listened more closely. I thought it was something on the radio at first, but no, there it was again, "ding, ding, ding". It was the clock CHIMING!!! Good Morning Granddaddy! I have not heard it since. It felt like a reminder that my GOD and my granddaddy are here and still looking out for me. I don't believe in a lot that is "coincidental". I know in my heart it was a reminder to me and I am extremely blessed. It was like a greeting from Heaven. Have a good day. Be sure to look around today and find someway you might be a blessing to someone else.

Wendy