BIRTHDAY BROTHER!

June 18, 22011

Dear Emily,

Although his birthday is not until Tuesday, we celebrated Simon’s 9^th birthday today and what a celebration it was.!  Seventeen people showed up at your house to eat hotdogs and potato chips.  For dessert your mommy served an Oreo ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.  It was delicious.  And presents….so many presents!  He got money, swimming trunks, a music cd, a badminton set, a basketball …. And those are just a few of his gifts!  Your mommy and daddy gave him a basketball goal to set up in the back yard.  The plan was for everyone to go to the pool after lunch, but the weather didn’t cooperate so Simon performed a magic show instead.  He had practiced his routine so he could make things appear and disappear.  He is actually quite good.

I first saw Simon when he was three.  He came with your mommy to watch Jay coach a basketball game in Lewisburg.  He marched in the gym waving a little American flag like he was leading a parade and when he saw Jay, his face lit up like a Christmas tree.   I could tell the feeling was mutual for Jay.   Three years later, your mommy and daddy got married, and I didn’t just get a terrific daughter-in-law,  I got the double blessing of a grandson too. 

Simon will be a wonderful big brother.  He is smart, he is funny, and he is already crazy about you!    And as you grow up, you will be crazy about him.  Although brothers and sisters sometimes fuss, sometimes aggravate and tease each other, he will be your hero.  You will love each other more than you can imagine.  He will be your confident, your advisor, and your defender.  Other people will come and go in your life, but as long as Simon is around,  you will have nothing to fear.  He will always be your big brother and there is nothing in the world that will ever be worth more than that relationship.     I think you are a very lucky little girl!

I love you both!!

BECOMING EMILY

June 9, 2011

Dear Emily,


The invasion of the thirteen-year cicadas is nearly over.  Cicadas are insects that have lain dormant in the ground for thirteen years and then suddenly, Mother Nature sounds the alarm, and they emerge from their long sleep. Still wrapped in their protective shells, the cicadas attach themselves to trees and buildings where they gradually wiggle free from their protective covering, leave it behind so that they can lay their eggs before they die and begin the process all over again. This process is part of God’s plan for the cicadas.   And while they are busy laying eggs and flying from tree to tree, they "sing."  They sing in harmony with a distinct rhythm that rises and falls with a cadence.  They sing loudly and seemingly, joyfully.  Some people don’t like the “noise” of the singing, but I love it.  Now their short visit is nearly done, and we will have to wait thirteen more years for the cicadas to return.

Many things can happen in thirteen years.  Thirteen years ago your daddy graduated from high school.  Thirteen years before that, he was starting kindergarten!  And thirteen years from now, you will be----- well, you will be THIRTEEN!!  You will be a teen-ager!  Wow!  And you will have experienced so many “firsts.”  Your first steps, your first word, the first day of school…possibly your first kiss, first love, first heartbreak.  You will be standing on the brink of womanhood.  By the time you are thirteen, you will have glimpsed the woman you will become.  Your personality will have begun to assert itself, and you will have realized some of the activities that you like to do, and others that you don’t. You will have chosen friends and rejected others.   In other words Emily, you will be becoming YOU!! God has a plan for your life, but you are the architect.  You get to choose the life you want to build.  Seek God’s plan and choose wisely and He will bless the life you build.

Yes Emily, in the next thirteen years, you will slowly wiggle out of the protective shell of your parents’ guidance, and you will spread your wings.  Fly Emily!  Fly high and fly strong! And most of all…..don’t forget to sing!!!

I love you!

HAPPY TRAILS!

June 7

Dear Emily,

Last week a friend brought her six-year-old grandson to see the horses. He had never seen a horse before, but he wasn’t afraid. I saddled Charlie Horse and little Clark climbed right on as if he had been doing it everyday of his life. I led him around the front yard in a circle…the same circle where I led Simon, Laura, your daddy, Uncle Robert…all on their first horse ride. And it’s the same circle where I will lead you someday on your first horse ride.

I have been riding horses since before I can actually remember. My earliest memories of horseback riding are with my grandfather. He had a white mare (that’s a girl horse) named “Miss Jimmie.” He had named her after my grandmother. I don’t know why. When I was a little, little girl, I would sit on the front of the saddle as he rode Miss Jimmie around the farm. Eventually I got old enough to ride by myself. I named my first horse “Reddy.” That was because he was red! When I was in the third grade, my daddy bought the pony that was the love of my life…her name was Baby Doll. She was spotted black and white with glass eyes and I adored her. She had a wild streak, but that just made her that much more fun to ride. I spent hours riding her around the farm or to Grandmama’s house. Sometimes I would give her a bath and show her in the local 4-H shows. She nearly always won a ribbon. I kept Baby Doll until she died and buried her on the farm.

Now I have six horses. And they are like family. June actually belongs to Uncle Jimmy but he never rides her. Maggie is the alpha horse (that means she is the horse in charge!) and is the mother of the other four horses. Delta is the oldest of the four siblings and the most spoiled. She is more like a big yard dog than she is a horse. Harry Potter is next. He tries to evade being caught, but once the saddle is on, he is a peach. Next is Charlie Horse…my favorite. Charlie’s grandfather was a world grand champion walking horse named Ebony’s Masterpiece and class always shows…for man or horse! Charlie is black with beautiful ears and a sweet disposition. Finally, there is Cisco. He is white with brown spots and is full of mischief, which gets him into trouble. In fact, the vet had to come recently to put stitches in Cisco’s back leg.

Horses are like people. If you treat them with love, kindness, and respect, they will respond the same…most of the time. Sometimes you meet people and horses that don’t fit the mold, but they are rare. God’s world is more beautiful when experienced from the back of a horse and problems never seem as challenging. So get ready Emily….I can hardly wait until you and I saddle up for that first ride!

SHOWERS OF LOVE

June 6, 2011

Dear Emily,

One more month…July 6^th…at least that’s what the doctor and the calendar say. But I think you already have a mind of your own, and you will come when you are ready. And I think that you are planning to be here sooner that July 6. You have grown so much that your mommy is running out of tummy for you!

While we are waiting for you to decide, exciting things have been happening! It seems that everyone is thrilled that it is nearly time for you to make your appearance. Lots of people have celebrated your pending arrival. Your daddy’s basketball team, the faculty at his school, the faculty at your mommy’s school, close friends and family…. all have helped your parents prepare for you to be born. Even your church family gave a shower (a party) for you and mommy. There was a beautiful teddy bear cake, there were lots of gifts of clothes and toys, but best of all, there was lots of love….all for Emily.

One more month....!!