You know who you are...

........ is a woman with a simple name and a pleasant exterior covering up hundreds of fascinating layers that combine to make up who she really is. Some of these layers are so strong, so unbelievably tough and resilient. What I would give to have a tenth of her strength... Some of the layers are softer than a dandelion floating away on a child's breath. She has known absence, and appreciates presence more dearly. She has known heartbreak, yet is first to forgive. She has known Want, and appreciates Having. She has looked right into the face of serious illness without flinching. When she sees injustice, she does not avert her eyes. When she gets knocked down, she forces herself to get back up again. She is an old-fashioned girl at heart, adapting old-fashioned kind of values to this modern world. She is probably oblivious to the fact that she represents Hope, inspiration that maybe we too can choose to make the most of what Life hands us. Proof that we are not defined by what we cannot control, but by how we live our lives. A mother like none other I have known. Fiercely protective, while encouraging growth and independence. Honest and understanding, able to understand and empathize during each stage her daughters pass through, by keeping in her heart the young girl she was, not so very long ago.

Father's Days

Dear Daddy,

Wow.  Did you ever think you'd read those words, that they would be directed to you?

Mama says you held me first, so your face is the first image I have.  As such, Daddy, YOU are the beginning scene in my story.  I see myself reflected first in your eyes.  The first thing I ever saw was the love in your eyes, and that is as if branded in my mind. 

In case you are wondering, you're doing just fine at this daddy business.  Getting to know each other is an adventure for all of us.  I'll be growing and changing quickly and visibly, in measurable ways.  Your changes will be more significant than measurable, but very, very important.  You, yes, YOU, are a father.  Say it out loud:  I am a husband.  I am a father.  I am Rebekah's Daddy. 

You sound proud.  And maybe a little scared, because you didn't grow up surrounded by good father role models.  The good thing is, you are a person who can learn from the mistakes of others, as well as your own.  You survived and became so much more than your beginnings would have predicted.  For that matter, so did Mommy.  Don't doubt yourselves: I am starting MY own life in the arms of two people who would give up anything just to keep me safe.  I can tell. 

Pick me up and hold me a whole lot.  The day I'm too big for that is coming so much quicker than you think.  Sing to me before I can tell if you CAN sing or not.  Read to me, and make sure I see you enjoying reading, too. 

Respect my mother and make a conscious daily decision to make sure I learn first-hand how a good man treats his family.  You can do it.  You have hopes and dreams for me.  I have hopes and dreams for the three of us. 

You don't get to choose whether you are an example to me.  You only get to choose what KIND of example you are.

I'm your biggest fan right now.  And I suspect you are mine, too.

THE world is a big, exciting, and sometimes scary, place.  But, at least for today, MY world is clean, soft, loving, safe, and bright, because of you.

Rebekah