EIGHTEEN TODAY!

TODAY IS ABOUT BAILEY BUGS

It only takes a year or two for them to grow up, but they never seem to grow out of your heart. While I'm excited for the life ahead of her, I'm sad she will be "on her own" in a world whose values are upside down.

I can remember those bright blue eyes, with her fly-away blond hair framing her face, looking up at me in the middle of the night as she asked if she could sleep with me and papa. She was afraid of the dark. My little sweetie was not even talking yet. She just patted the bed and climbed in beside me.

Trying to fix her hair for church was always a challenge, until she actually grew hair. I'm not sure just when it changed from blond to brown and then almost black. Well, I guess I remember the almost black change.

Around the time she started talking good she discovered papa kept jelly beans on his desk and she would go in and sneak them when he wasn't in the office. One day he was working at home and she couldn't get to them so she started asking for them. Only she could only say a few words. Her request came out, "Papa, beans. Papa, beans. We finally figured out what she was asking for and Bailey got her beans and Papa was dubed "Papa Beans"...There was the vacation trip to New Mexico with Papa, Nana, Michael, Aunt Connie and Noni to play in the snow and drink hot chocolate and play games in front of the fire place one winter. I guess Bailey and Michael were probably four and five. If you ask Michael he would probably remember Bailey looking under bathroom stalls talking to the lady next to us while she told her life history and why she was in the mountains. And then walking up and talking to an elderly couple in MacDonald's while they tried to eat their breakfast. He might even remember them sitting in the back seat of the van playing while we sped through the country to our vacation. Bailey was the "robber" and we heard her tell Michael, "This is a stick-up, give me all your money and take off all your clothes". Papa nearly drove off the mountain side.Nana would remember her saying the prayer for lunch and it going like this, "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food. By His hands we are fed, thank you Lord for Bailey Redd."Then... if you ask Bailey, she would probably remember sitting on a rock in the middle of the frozen stream behind our vacation rental house watching little snow flakes fall. As we were going back to the house we noticed a couple of ravenous dogs on the bank with their tongues hanging out. Nana very lovingly got her two precious grandchildren by the hands and started walking quickly to the house. As I looked over my shoulder and saw them running after us, probably thinking hurry there goes our dinner" Bailey's hand slipped from mine. Michael had run ahead of us and went under the split rail fence and after I got safely behind it, I encouraged Bailey to "Run, Bailey, run". She some how remembers me dropping her and leaving her for the bait. Now I ask you, would a Nana do that?

We went as high up the snow covered mountain as the car could get and got out to walk further up and Bailey and Michael wanted to make snow angles and slide down the slopes on their bottoms. Michael soon decided it wasn't for him while Bailey whized by and came back for more. We nearly lost her one time in a ditch.

We went though T-ball, soccer, Brownies, making gifts for Christmas parties at school, a season in little theater. I know I've forgotten some things. As she grew older there were the normal school banquets and then high school. That one slipped up on me and nearly took me down. At the end of her sophomore year she made the Cavaliers then all of a sudden she was a senior and lo-and-behold graduated at mid-term.

In January of this year she started college at San Jac and today, today...my Bailey Bugs is eighteen years old.

Bailey honey, I know I have forgotten so many things but all I can see is your smile and your beautiful eyes. I miss scratching you back and making it tickle.

God, thank you for "Bailey Redd"

I Love You

p.s. Bailey, I'm sorry I could not edit the pictures and pull the ones I wanted. Papa Beans has retired for the night so we're stuck with Nana's computer skills, or lack there of...

In The Words Of A Five Year Old

"Ni Hoa"

Some of you might have seen our Hattie's debut on her mommy's blog but I just want to pass it on just in case you haven't.

Hattie is the youngest, for now, daughter of my niece Tricia and her husband Eric. As I've written before, they are in the process of adopting Lydda. Lydda lives in an orphanage in China today, but hopefully, around mid April will live with her new family.

Hattie had to do a poster and oral presentation on another country. Of course she chose China. I'm going to let her share what she has learned of her sister's native country. Hattie...



I've shared Lydda's picture with all of you before, but I want to show you again. I hope and pray these beautiful little eyes will be before you when you go to our Father God tonight and tomorrow morning. In fact, as often as you can, please lift her up. Life for Lydda is not what it is for our 12 month olds here.

satan has been working pretty hard over the last couple days to not only discourage but interrupt the plans for Hattie's sister to come live with her. You know though, you can't keep a five year old down. She doesn't understand lost flyer miles, delayed travel plans, extra charges to authorities, just all the blips on the radar. Here are a few things she has done to "help":
...She drew pictures and had her mom raffle them on her blog

... she worked at their jambalaya dinner sale

... she prays for her every night

... and she (and her sister Emogene - a story for another time) gave their

complete piggy bank savings to "help hurry Lydda up".

Anyway, this is just an introduction to Hattie. I have so many great-nieces and nephews, all with the same loving hearts. I will have to actually count down from my brothers to their kids and then maybe I'll get there. God blessed the three of us, Wayne, Valmond and me with many precious off-spring.

I Love You All
p.s. "Ni Hoa" means "hello" from China, in case you missed that in Hattie's

presentation.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ASK GOD TO SHOW UP?

HE DOES!!!

Well, the dates for the Ladies Retreat we were planning at our church were this past Friday and Saturday. Of course all the details worked themselves out (ha). Anyway all the things I stressed over in an earlier post are history.....pleasant history.

COLORED LENSES GROUP SHOW OFFS

LEADING WORSHIP

We started about 3:00pm setting up the room and organizing the room keys and name tags. I think five ladies plus myself and then, of course, my wonderful hubby, were there working faster than the speed of humans to get it all done. We had three ladies working on the registration table and also putting bags of chocolate goodies in the rooms for each guest, two or three ladies were working on setting up the tables, centerpieces, door prizes and journals, pens and crayons for Friday night. Les was helping bring in sound equipment and Craige, Deborah's husband set it up. (I had nothing to do with sound or music. It took me the whole weekend to figure out how to turn the cordless mic on and off without blowing out ear drums). I was trying to get the last minute things we forgot to ask for (from the hotel) and going over the things I had PLANNED to say.

We started with an ice breaker and I have to admit, it was the first and only time I have been defined by a pig...after drawing our own picture of a pig, the lady in charge of that part began to tell us what each item told us about ourselves; i.e. which way the pig faced, if it was standing or sitting, how long and curly or straight it's tail was. That was really cute. Long story short, mine said I was "direct, aggressive, emotional, a risk taker, didn't like major change" and a couple other things I won't mention. Can anyone see ANY of those adjectives in my character???

We then had about 20 minutes of worship and a friend of mine signed to "Open the Eyes of MY Heart, Lord", a song I have claimed as my plea to God for about twenty years. I cried. Then it was time for me to open and I struggled with my memory. Whether it was emotion or poor memory I can't say. We spent a lot of time enjoying each other, eating, and exploring our Great and awesome God.

For about six weeks I had been asking for clear direction on how to say the things I knew He wanted me to say. We had a very definite struggle on the fact that I would say anything at all for a while, but after thinking about the people He called in scripture to pass on His message...Moses for one, wandered in the desert for 40 years for disobeying and hardening his heart (I SURE don't have 40 years to catch on) and then Jonah checked into the "Belly of the Big Fish" hotel for three days and I don't even do Holiday Inn Express very well, I said "okay, You lead Lord". At that point, He did.

We spent the rest of the night and Saturday mostly on personal introspective communication with God and seeking His guidance for our lives. It was called "Colored Lenses" and dealt with our prejudices of scripture, or if we even believed they were true, for us. How the choices we make in our lives color our belief that God is big enough to deal with them and still save us. Most of the ladies said it was different from what they have done in the past and were pleased they came. If and when we do another one depends on many things, but mostly on His guidance. Believe me though when I say "When we ask Him to, He does show up", and in a BIG way.

Thanks to all who helped with the week end, most especially, my Father God, my Abba, and my Lord.

I Love You All