This post comes about as a bit of a challenge from the current Bible Study I am in and loving and learning and praying my way through...." if you are led to take a meal, send a note, write that blog, I encourage you to DO IT." My coworker and dear friend Debra said "we" meaning you (me) need to share this as 'our' thank-you. So, with those 2 teensy prompts and a whole lot of thoughts swirling around in my brain -- here it is in print.
My little hometown is just that LITTLE, and mighty and full of good people, and when you are born here, raised here, play here, marry here, have babies here, YOU ARE ONE of OURS!!! We celebrate the good times, celebrate graduations, toast at weddings, cry at weddings, rejoice over the announcement of pending birth, pray for complete healing, cry the big ugly cry at funerals, pray when babies don't come and cry again,...all of this usually involves food, be it comfort food, nourishing food, fun food...the cheddar cheese ministry is alive and well...We sell food to raise money for concessions, youth groups, mission trips, bake sales....you name it...we know the way to a heart is straight through the stomach.
At MY Bank, where I work, we are much like family... we have laughed, cried, divorced, celebrated children getting married, wondered about unexpected babies and then completely fall head over heels in love with their precious-ness, prayed for babies that GOD said 'not yet my child', worried over grades, and bullies, we share recipes, cheered for all types of ball players, cheered on the cheerleaders, hugged a forlorn wife as her one true love went to the BIG ranch in the sky....We have nearly 100 kids and grandkids between all of us...some of us have been together for over 20 years. WE ARE FAMILY!!!!
That is a little of the first back story.....
This is a little of the 2nd back story....
When I was growing up I did a lot of baby sitting and I did a little for Bradley and Sara Crowe.
Bradley's mom and dad wanted a baby pretty bad and God said 'NOT YET'...so they set about ADOPTING his precious self....and not one baby on earth could look more like his daddy than that little boy..now, Bradley was onry when he was little and had a LOT of energy, and decided farming was not for him...WHAT THE HECK!! would grow up and leave the family farm and become a certified EMT and be a dang good one at that and move right up the ranks cause he prooved he really was a smarty pants in the right areas.. and make us ALL PROUD, as he is mighty handsome in a uniform...He would become UNCLE BRADLEY....He would learn how the body can go through some trauma and survive.
Then when they least expected it GOD said "NOW" to Mike and Linda and along came little Miss Sara Marie. A dang miracle to say the least!!.. Now she grew up on that farm and loved animals and all things Green...After 4H and high school she declared she was going to be a COWBOY, like in Stillwater Oklahoma. She quickly declared her love for ALL things ORANGE and a boy named ADAM...They became STILLWATER STRONG in more ways than one..Her home away from home was at OSU and they became part of a family there.....They had no idea at the time how STRONG they would become...So being a 'part' of the family, we were part of the wedding plans and watched her proclaim "for better or worse and in sickness and health" as God and ALL of us as THEIR witnesses...Their love for each other was STRONG and they yearned for a baby....but...GOD said " NOT NOW", little did they know what HE had in store for them...soooo for awhile we cried and prayed for a baby that was not to be....WHEN....sweet young JADE declared her love for her baby was big enough to say "I can't do this, right now" and our prayers were answered and MIA swooped in and we all fell for those big soft eyes and Sara and Adam became MOM and DAD and we rejoiced with them...and cried happy tears at the mostly pink, cause it is hard to find orange for newborns in Kansas, baby shower....and nearly fell to pieces when that new mama stood up and told us how they had prayed for this baby and how she could not believe God had chosen her to be so lucky....Her faith was STRONG....THEIR faith was STRONG....and they set about teaching her to love all things ORANGE and COWBOYS....
Then when they least expected it....God said "YES" to them and Sweet little Hadley was on her way.
MIA was going to be a big sister... Linda was going to be Grandma again...we cried and we prayed over that pregnancy...we REJOICED over the gosh dang miracle of birth once again. AMEN....we hovered over photos....WE watched as Sara and Adam, taught those girls to love all things on a farm and hug animals and name each one with a PERFECT name...WE watched them teach the girls to love ALL things ORANGE and become COWBOYS from the infant seat, Homecoming was a FAMILY Tradition......WE prayed over the eye sight that was not quite right...glasses did not cut down the cute factor one bit....The family was STRONG for Hadley....
You see, Sara was 'ours', Mia became one of 'ours' as did her mama JADE, Hadley became one of 'ours' just because THAT IS HOW IT WORKS in my little town....WE care about, we pray for, we cry happy tears, sad tears, we rejoice, we eat together, WE ARE FAMILY....
Two weeks ago, as I was eating lunch with some of MY FAMILY, I received news about a horrible accident at the HOMECOMING parade in STILLWATER...home of the OSU COWBOYS..TRAUMA they said!!!..Now, my son Graduated with honors from OSU, declares he is a COWBOY and loves ORANGE too, so I feel a little partial to that school too. With Social media being what it is, I knew several people that were going to the parade and game...my next text told me about sweet precious little HADLEY, the baby that we had prayed for before she was here, that we prayed for about her little eyes, that we ooohed and ahhhed over in her little orange puffy skirt that matched her big sisters...was one of the victims that was air lifted out...I had those FOR REAL goose bumps and punch in the gut feeling you get when you get some bad news. My first thought was of Sara and how she must feel and then of Linda, Grandma to Grandma....after confirming that my son is OK...I send a text to Linda....she is on her way to OKC..I know Linda is STRONG.. I pray for her safety and I say a prayer that she remembers her phone charger....I worry and pray for them all day and check my phone A LOT for updates....The TRAUMA is Horrific....EMT,s save the people!!!!
All weekend, we pray and add Hadley and her family to our prayer chains, and pray at Bible Study and in Sunday School for all of them... WE have a lump in our throats and tears in our eyes as we hear a Great Aunt give updates....WE ARE STRONG>>>>we are FAMILY....they are ours....WE see a photo of SARA laying really close to HADLEY in a hospital bed and again we are pleading with GOD....to make this all turn out all right....We know THEIR FAITH is STRONG....The entire STATE of OKLAHOMA bled ORANGE....SOONERS waved an ORANGE flag!!!!
Monday at work, we share what we all know and proclaim we will have a BAKE SALE to help with medical and non medical expenses....We have been through this more than once in our work family...
With 4 days till said bake sale, we use Facebook and ask for donations for food, cause we KNOW who can bake and cook like a boss here, and we KNOW how much people like to buy homemade goodies, AND if it is for a REASON, the money comes in.....I had barely hit the post button when the FIRST person from WHERE he works brought some money in from the guys, cause they can't cook and want to help.....MONDAY morning people!!!! WE have not even hung ONE poster... and so the ONE GALLON jar that we use at work to collect donations began filling up....we start planning what we will bake....I pray that people will donate food and money....AMEN!!!
This part is hard for me to type....
WE had a few remarks...."WHY are you doing it, they don't even live HERE?!", "They surely have insurance!!!, They will probably SUE and get their bills paid!!!....Who is in charge of this money, pointing to the jar?,,,,What will they do with the money?,....ALL from ADULTS....
To say that this GOT OUR DANDER UP, is an understatment....!!!!!NONE of that matters to us...IT is not for us to judge on these matters....We just HAVE to do something to "help' our family....
The jar got fuller...\
This eats on me and my coworkers just a little and grows into quite a THORN in our side!!!!THAT IS OUR FAMILY YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!!!!!We get defensive, we worked with Linda half of our working lives, we 'helped' raise this family...WE have cried and laughed and prayed for PETE's SAKE!!!
The jar keeps getting money in it.....
Fast Forward to FRIDAY day of HUGS FOR HADLEY BAKE SALE!!!!
Back story #3.
IT is CRAYZZZZEEEE on Popcorn Friday with all the little tumblers and dancers down the street..
We are super short handed due to STATE Volleyball and cross country for our TIMBERWOLVES....
We have 4 payrolls on this day.....the phone rings constantly....I stand at the counter for nearly 7 straight hours. Our report count says that we have nearly 170 cash customers ....THAT IS A BUNCH of people in our LOBBY....
WE have 3 - 8 foot tables full of food and our front desk is full and it smells like a bakery and a concession stand all at the same time...
No less than 20 batches of popcorn...
Our first customers for the bake sale are at the door before 8:00 ...We do NOT open till 8:30...
WE SELL OUT BY 10:00...
The jar keeps getting money in it all day long
THE POINT of THIS POST
At 10 minutes before our closing time of 4:00 on the day when we are dog tired, a sweet young mama with 2 little boys of her own comes in...Now, we have a bucket full ( and I mean a LARGE) bucket full of trick or treat candy, then a bright ORANGE poster for Hadley, and then a GALLON jar at this point that is COMPLETELY full of cash and checks...all lined up on the front desk...just as you walk in the door....Mama says no to candy because they will both be getting a bunch tomorrow as they trick or treat....BUMMER...we are out of POPCORN....BUMMER again...they stop and SOUND out the words on the POSTER......H U GS for HAD LEEE....they ask Debbie "WHo is HADLEY?"
WOW,...THAT is a TON of MONEY....WOWW...who gets THAT!!!! Mama has made her way to the counter with me and we are doing her business and we over hear this... ( These little boys have a BUNCH of energy) ( This mama is weary and has her hands full most days, and loves these boys, and strives to teach them right and wrong, some days she probably fears she is failing...)Debbie asks them how old they are, one is 8 and one is 7, so she tells them Hadley is just between them at age 6 ,there is a photo of Hadley on the desk, they do not personally know Hadley, she does not go into a lot of detail but does tell them that Hadley was injured very bad and airlifted from a parade to a hospital in Oklahoma City...Now, one of these boys has eye problems much like Hadley, he comes up to his mom and asks her for some money to help the little girl in the hospital, cause she is hurt real bad..( LUMP IN THROAT!!!) pushes up his glasses 2 or 3 times, she gives him some cash for him and his brother...the 8 year old says..." Man I wish I would have brought some of my own money from home!! to help her more"....( tears in my eyes and Debra's eyes!!!)...Mama says we will pray for her tonight.... ( I fill mama in a little on details of the TRAUMA)...and with that they are gone....
I say....THAT is why we have THESE bake sales!!!!...Compassion from a child for a child...NO judgment...just COMPASSION. 2 days later during Children's Sermon,, the 7 year old says they need to pray for a girl in the hospital in Oklahoma....this is after we hear an update from a Great Aunt who is so THANKFULL that so many prayers have been answered!!!!( That mama and daddy are doing the right things...tough as it may be). WE ARE FAMILY...those little boys live here now and they are fast becoming OURS too!!!!
So I write this to tell you young mama's to TRAIN Up a Child in the WAY that HE should go and he will not depart from it!!!! Keep teaching them right from wrong...they ARE listening, teach them to pray,, the prayers are heard....Be STILL Be STRONG Be STILLWATER STRONG!!! Make ORANGE one of your colors....BE COWBOY tough EVERY DAY...
God smiled down on Hadley and she is expected to make a complete recovery and we hope they can go to their beloved STILLWATER and be be STRONG COWBOYS again...
A HERO named LEO is who we are really concentrating our prayers on now....LEO is credited with saving sweet little Hadley's life....
Compassion like a child is what I am striving for...
We are THAT KIND OF FAMILY!!!!
Robin....and Debbie.....
