Baby Bets

My daughter, Betsy, has surprised me at every stage of her life. She started out as a fighter: stubborn, and didn't want to go to sleep because she wanted to be in the middle of everything that was going on around her. I would have to hold her against my shoulder as an infant so she'd go to sleep. I had long hair back then, so she would lay on my shoulder and curl a strand of my hair until it wrapped tight around her finger. Unfortunately, right about that time, she was asleep. So I had to carefully take her to her bed, lay her down and untangle her finger from the lock of my hair without waking her and starting the dance all over again.

I have images of Betsy with almost white blonde hair, standing on the front porch in her mom's red high heel shoes, singing to the top of her lungs into a hairbrush. She has never been shy about speaking her mind to either of us. Maybe sometimes as a teenager, her wilfulness crossed the line from expressing herself to disrespect, but not often. She has a streak of her father in her DNA, so I know where that stuff comes from and I notice it quicker than anyone else. I'm not one to stand around and watch someone expel obvious B.S. without being confronted, and neither is Betsy.

How did these kids grow up so fast? How did they make it through unscathed? I know Brenda and I spent countless times praying for both Betsy and her older brother, Joshua. It isn't too early to start praying for them, by the way--for their spouses, their place in the world, their salvation and membership in the Kingdom of God. There were bumps and challenges along the way, but our trust in God for Betsy and Josh was not betrayed. He was faithful at every turn, and I want to encourage those folks who are reluctant to have children because of the risks that today's world brings: it is so worth it! As my dad always says, "What would life be if, at the end, there were no children to accompany us?" We wanted kids because we wanted to raise a family of our own and to leave a legacy. Children are so rewarding.

Betsy is a beautiful girl with a great husband, Adam. We are blessed that they have moved back to Nashville from Memphis after Adam's law school graduation in May. They are awaiting the results of Adam's bar exam last month.

I see Brenda shining through in Betsy. Surprisingly, they have become so alike in many ways. She still has that radical streak that her dad has though, God bless her!

Here's a video she made last week of 15 crazy facts about her--just a few answers to questions to get to know her. She has a wonderful blog, too. I'm a proud papa!