Baby M

 Is this for real......?  Can't be!!

How......?   

Where.....?  

Who is this most delightful visitor?

What is it about this tiny little person that can melt the hardest heart, bring the mighty to their knees and create an immediate reverance amongst beasts or mankind?  

How can she do this...?  How can she emotionally destroy us without making a sound?  I do not know other than that she is not of this world.  The world can create many beautiful things, but it can't create the unique and special aura and heavenly awe of a newborn baby. 

No....this gift only comes from one place, and it isn't here.

How does she capture  my gaze so instantly and intently.  She isn't even trying..... She knows not what she does.  If she is in the room all living things are drawn to her like a powerful magnetic draws metal.  We turn off the TV. We find soft music, We drop what we are doing because all other tasks become irrelevant when this little princess shows up. We want to change the environment to suit the royalty that she is.

Completely helpfless......, yet commands control completely!  What is this power that she wields so innocently that affects all.  She is no respecter of persons, she is willing to share it all with anyone and willing to absorb any affection and love from anyone as well.  She depends upon it.  It is her nourishment, and she reflects it back in spades!  We, the observer gets the best part of that trade for sure.

One single little coo can send her mom into the stratosphere!  What happens when she figures out her first smile..... game over! It's like a little heart attack that jolts ones' heart.

To think that our Father in Heaven would grant this unexplainable experience that only He understands the totality of, with us.  Maybe this is one of the only ways that we can relate to Him, by sharing a tiny glimpse of how He feels about each one of us..... times a trillion!

What do I see when I look at Miller......

She is selfless.........she is pure light..........Yes, she is perfection personified

In the prettiest package that could ever be presented.  

Pink suits her just fine, no?

Miller, you have already done what you were supposed to do -- completely change our hearts and remind us of who we are and why we are here.  

All hail to Baby M.

An Uncommon Love

I would like to introduce you to Braden Aaron Brown and Abigail Elizabeth Wadley. 

Braden + Abby

Two extraordinary people.  The type of people that would wince at my suggesting that word....(which already says loads about them)......The type of people that thrive in absolute zero attention space. The type of people that somehow manage to distance themselves from the accolades that seem to shower around them consistently.  What is most uncommon is that they both never let themselves truly "inhale" the compliments.......Rather, they say thank you.....smile--because they are smart enough to know that you, the giver, needs to feel good for giving the compliment, and then they "snap back to grid" to that place where superlatives do not exist.  In essence, they are quietly gracious.......Uncommon?   I would say yes.

They have known each other since they were in grade school.  They became friends in 7th grade.  Braden, painfully shy, someone who would do almost anything to keep any attention or notice directed his way, showed up in a way that caught this young girl's attention.   His gift was that he knew who he was at a very young age.  He found his footing early and has never veered since.  He was a young man that had decided early in life, that he was going to "go about and do good" (Acts 10:38) in every interaction, in every relationship, in every thought and deed.  It is no small thing to remember who this scripture referred to and the profound parallels it has to Braden.   While we witnessed Braden's behavior and interactions with our own eyes, we didn't have the advantage of seeing Abby growing up but, we have had strong inklings she followed a similar code of life by the way Braden felt drawn to her.  I wouldn't be surprised a bit if her parents saw similar motivations and patterns in their home.....

Uncommon?  I would have to say yes. 

Most young people struggle to navigate the awkwardness of early "teenageship",  Braden seamlessly glided through those messy crags and crevices with an amazing amount of ease and solidity. I am sure he might describe it differently, but it was clear to us that somehow his roots went deeper, and when the wind blew, he was steadfast.....never allowing the tempestuous winds of junior high temptations that blew his way to alter his focus, or his path.  It didn't matter what the world threw at him to try and knock him off his feet, it never worked.....I am sure it was frustrating to those that tried.  What was especially cool was that no one really wanted to.... He managed to be totally integrated with academics, sports, music, friends and yet was able to fly adeptly under the mainstream radar exquisitely with the sophistication of a trained fighter pilot. An unusual talent for high schooler..... Uncommon?  I would say yes.

 And there is this Abby person.... Wow!  You would love her!  You would probably only need about 5 minutes to find out too.  A smile that would melt an iceberg, a differentiated disposition honed her entire life to be loving, kind, and generous.... the kind of generosity that flows freely.  When she pays attention, she really does.....no fake smiles or laughs.  She is so smart, intellectual, precise in her calculations--whatever they may be (lots of spreadsheets!!) and perfectly balanced with her constant beautiful smile and wonderful sense of humor.  She has super high emotional intelligence -- she is able to adeptly walk into a situation, observe the room, the situation, the people, and react just right.  Mostly it works because she wears a  countenance that puts you at ease........ immediately.

Uncommon....To me, yes.

You see Abby, equally extraordinary, was observing from afar.... she wasn't looking for the typical Junior High School boys most girls would.... it wasn't the sports, the clothes, the neighborhood or the car (The car was cool however..!) .....No, she had a different gaze.... it was deeper and went under the surface of stuff.  It took more time, more consideration, more precision, but she saw something that was not obvious to almost everyone else.  She saw Braden's heart early on.  She watched him act quietly.  He didn't say much, but his actions, how he interacted with others, and how he carried himself was loud and clear.  She zero'd in on a different target.......and set things in motion that forever change both their trajectories....... and Braden didn't seem to complain too much! 

It happened quietly, without commotion, and very little noise......This thing....this uncommon love.  How two 7th graders could be so stealthy--so wise, so young?  I don't know.....Did they see this coming way back then?  The idea that maybe there was this very tiny seed of an idea... that germinated into a possibility of something more is irresistible.....and very cool.   I would like to believe that maybe these little post it notes of possibilities would come to them, maybe while eating lunch on the sidewalk at school each day, or thinking of each other during class......that this precious thing they were growing, could eventually lead to something as incredible as the eternal union they will be forming today.  

I love the way they found each other, grew together and found love.  While this may not sound that different than other love stories, The way they did it was uniquely theirs....special,  intimate, powerful and uncommon.  

What they will do next will be no less impressive.  They have framed a perfect  and precise blueprint of how they want to live their lives.  I think about the vise grips pliers I have in my toolbox.  The kind that once locked on--don't come off......That is what these two have done.  They have locked their "vise grips" tight around how they want to live leaving no question in anyone's mind about what will result.....They will go about doing good for the rest of their lives.

Talk about an intentional life! 

So, with the help of a little tune we like to sing at home, we send you off into your heart shaped sea.

"All I needed was the love you gave

All I needed for another day

And all I ever knew

Only you...."

Know Thyself.....

I walked in the door last night coming home from work and as I passed through the entryway I turned my head, saw a few of the kids watching TV and greeted them with a passing: " Hey Dudes.... how goes it?"

As I continued my forward motion and started to head up the stairs I heard a retort behind me that said emphatically: "Hey!... I am NOT a Dude, Dad!!"

I turned around and......yes, there was Alexa with her arms crossed across her chest, hips bent one way, with one of her "Bring it on Dude" attitudes written all over her face. (.......Do they always come with red hair!!?)

I could tell she was waiting for the "right" answer from me. I squirmed uncomfortably realizing she was making me nervous! (Like getting caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar). I realized it was FEAR! ......How could a tiny little girl cause make me sweat??!!

She just sat there and waited while I fumbled to come up with the right words. I began to explain to her that she was my little "Dudette"(....he he, nice recovery I thought.....) WRONG! That did not fly at all - in fact, her only response was to shift her weight from one foot to the other, now showing signs of growing impatience..... "Quickly Aaron" I thought..."you are striking out here". The only thing I could come up with was a feeble "It just means I love you honey!" .... If there had been a referee right there I would have been presented with a "Red Card" and ejected from the game for such a weak performance! Needless to say, she realized how pathetic I was, rolled her eyes and walked away.....

but not before she reminded me that she was a "GIRL!!!!! and that her name was ALEXA CHELTA BROWN".....

Now, all kidding aside. I sat down on the steps right there and let my mind take in the power of her few words.... What came clearly to my mind was: "Know Thyself"

I sat there and marveled at the fact that Alexa, who is 8 yrs old, not only knew who she was, but did so with great "enthusiasm" and conviction!

No, she most definitely is not a "dude" in the strictest sense of the definition. I may think of her as my "little Dude" but in the larger scope of reality -- No, she is not!

What caught me was how quickly she responded and the mighty attitude she said it with. She knew exactly what she was NOT--which really is a reflection of knowing who she really IS right?

I reflected upon the world that she has to grow up in....a world that is more confusing with every passing day. A world that I feel has often confused the "who am I? " question. It is less clear for young people today to "know who they are" because there are so many influences pulling them this way or that. The only way to make sense of anything the world "defines" is to: "Know Thyself"

As I sat there and let the full extent of her self-knowledge wash over me like a flood and I received a calm feeling and a lump in my throat. She didn't get that from me or Mom did she? No..... she came hardwired with that information, at least I hoped so, and also hoped that maybe Heaven had a hand here, helping her after all -- to know who she is, where she came from and what she is supposed to do.

Can she put her faith and belief in a simple still, small but powerful "feeling"? Is she prepared to face the world that might tell her she is any number of different things?.......... Yes! There is no question at all. She knows....... and anyone, including her silly Dad, that tries to tell her otherwise has another thing coming, that is for sure.

....After a few moments, I got up, continued where I had left off, and a knowing smile started to form on my face replacing the lump in my throat. I said a quiet prayer of thanks for that reinforcing feeling, not so much that I knew she knew, but more importantly that she knew she knew. I did an instant quick "check" internally, to see if I still knew as she seemed to know........Ahh, .it was a good moment for me, to remember too, who I was and to have that feel right.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. -- Dr. Seuss

No, Lexi, I will never mind when you speak what you feel, I consider it a blessing to know you, associate with you and to constantly learn from you....May you never lose that sense of identity and courage -- My money is on you -- never the World!!