CHANGING EMILY

October 22, 2011

Dear Emily,

Autumn is my favorite time of the year.  I love the changing of the seasons from the sultry days of late summer to the cool, crisp days of the fall.  I love the feel of a warm sweater on a chilly morning and the weight of a cozy blanket on a cool night.   I love the colors of the season….red, orange, and gold leaves under a clear blue sky.  And I love that as the days get shorter, the lamps are turned on earlier, and life seems to slow down.  

You are changing too.  You are becoming more independent.   You turn your head to look people in the eye when they are talking to you.  You are interested in knowing what is going on around you and insist on being held facing forward so that you can see.  No more cuddling you in my elbow!  Sometimes you get tired of being held at all and want to be on a blanket on the floor where you can entertain yourself.   You have discovered that you have feet, and you spend lots of time trying to grab them!  You like to talk too!  I don’t know what you are saying, but you have great conversations with lots of facial expressions (Most likely you are saying BB is the best!).  

Your hair is beginning to grow. The color is still debatable, but it most definitely has a hint of red; however, I don’t think it will be curly. Thank goodness!  Let’s hope that is one trait that you did not inherit from your BB!

Someday you will look at your baby pictures and you will ask about your eye.  That’s when I will tell you the story of the little girl who once had a “strawberry” birthmark on her left eyelid. By the time you are old enough to read this letter, it will be gone. I am sure of it.   The doctors at Vanderbilt are treating it, and your church family is praying for it to be gone….that birthmark doesn’t stand a chance!   

Seasons change and so do we. Change is part of God’s plan for nature and for our lives.   Sometimes adjusting to change can be difficult for people, but most changes are good because change enables us to grow.  Life certainly would be dull without change.  But Emily, one thing is constant and certain.  I love you, your family loves you, and God loves you...and that, my beautiful little girl, will never change.

EMILY AND UNCLE ROBERT

DRIVING MISS EMILY

Dear Emily,

      I began driving when I was about twelve years old.  I learned to drive where most country girls learned to drive…on the farm in the hay field and on the back-country roads on the way to my grandmother’s house.  By the time I turned sixteen and actually got my license, I was a confident driver. I was fearless.   While driving an automatic transmission was easier, I preferred to drive a “stick shift.”  Popping the clutch and smoothly changing gears never got old.  In fact, my first car was a five speed Chevrolet Vega.   Eventually, I traded in the five speed for an automatic, but I have never lost my love of driving, and I am still confident in my ability to get behind the wheel and go anywhere I want to go…still with little trepidation. …until now.

      Now, when you are in the car with me, I feel like a moving target.  I am amazed at how careless other people drive when you are riding in the backseat of my Camry!   The road is much too narrow!  That car is coming across on my side….I just know it!  Why is that car riding my bumper?  Surely he knows that he is too close….he is at least within fifty yards!  Yikes!  I realize I am gripping the steering wheel while little beads of sweat trickle down my back.  Will I never get home?  The four miles from Miss Peggy’s are filled with danger, and I breathe a sigh of relief when we arrive safely on Mahaley Road.  Whew!

      You and I have lots of places to go and lots of things to see.  Eventually, I will relax when you are with me and I will own the road once again.  But for now…I am so intensely aware of the precious cargo in my back seat…for now other drivers need to get out of my way….Emily and I are on the move!