HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKE, MY FIRST BORN

Exactly 22 years ago, a precious baby girl, Tiffany Brooke was born into the world. She weighed 8 lbs., 6 ozs. and was 20 3/4 inches long. She looked so much like her Daddy it was almost scarry. It was like I was looking at a baby Randy. I had been been waiting for this day for so long.......

As far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a Mommy. In my Senior year of high school, as everyone else was taking about "where" they were going to go to college, and "what they wanted to be" I would remain silent from fear of being thought of as crazy or something. All I ever wanted to be was a Mom. I played with dolls until I was too old to be playing with them. I would offer to babysit for free. I LOVED babies. I would dream of the little girl I would have one day. I named her when I was just a child myself. Her name would be Tiffany Brooke. In my dreams she always had light brown hair and curls. I never had one with light brown hair but Brooke did have the curls. I absolutely could not wait until I had a baby of my own.

Just as I knew it would be tragic for a man to be a husband when he's not ready to be a husband....I knew it would be just as tragic for a man to be a Daddy when he's not ready to be one. I was ready to have a baby the moment we got married. However, Randy was not ready to be a Daddy. So I never pushed him....I never nagged...I never said a word about it. I wanted him to be ready in his own time. After we had been married for 2 years, I heard the words I had been waiting all my life to hear, "I'm ready to have a baby." I grabbed him so quick.....I didn't want him to change his mind - ha!! Well, I thought when you were ready to have a baby, you just have one. It's that simple. I couldn't wait until the next month to find out I was pregnant. It didn't happen. It didn't happen the next month, or the next month or the next month. A year went by, and I still wasn't pregnant. I just could not understand why God was punishing me like this. All my life I had been waiting to have a baby. I wasn't asking for a bad thing - but a good thing. Why would this not be His will for me to have a baby!!! As time went on....I got a little depressed. The silence in the house became louder. I wanted to hear the sound of little feet. I would feel my stomach and think I felt movement, At times I thought I was going kind of crazy. My heart goes out to all the women in the world who long for a baby but can't have one. That's a terrible place to be in. From the time we first starting trying, Brooke was born 2 years later. Looking back though, God's plan to wait was perfect. Don't ever think He doesn't know what He's doing. He wants what is best for us just like our earthly father does - but His desire to do what is best for us is so much more. God knew that I wanted to stay at home with my children. He knew I wanted the house with the white picket fence. Once Randy graduated from college and got a job, we got in credit card debt up to our eye balls. We were having fun with the money that we never had. If we had a baby when "I" wanted, I wouldn't have been able to quit work or afford a house. Once we decided to have a baby, we started getting ourselves out of debt and saving up money for a house. It took those 2 years of wanting a baby and not being able to conceive to pay off those credit cards and do you know that right before Brooke was born I quit my job and we bought our first home? God's timing is perfect. It didn't have the white picket fence but it did have a fence. Our first home was beautiful and everything I had dreamed for. I had so much fun fixing up her room and getting ready for her arrival. We didn't find out what she would be but I was hoping and praying for a GIRL!!!! Once again, God gave me the desires of my heart. I had the most perfect little baby girl.

She really was the perfect baby. She was like a doll to me. She was so good. She hardly ever cried. She loved to eat and sleep - just like she does now - ha!!! I couldn't believe how wonderful having a baby was. It was BETTER than I imagined. I would change her clothes all the time and have fun dressing her up. I loved to show her off. I took her everywhere to just show her off. I was so proud of her. I made us a schedule and we did it every day. We had school...we had church....we had play time....we had nap time....I love those schedules!!! We did everything together. She was such a smart little girl. I would always tell her how smart she was and she would go around saying, "I fart." Her "s's" would come out like "f's". She was just the cutest thing.

I'm fixing to tell you something that I have never told anyone before. When Brooke was 6 months old, I was in our living room rocking her in my lap. I never rocked her to sleep, but I was just rocking her while she was wide awake..enjoying her. God spoke to me. It was so loud and clear as if He was sitting right next to me. He told me that He was going to use Brooke in a very special way. It was so clear it kind of scared me. I didn't tell anyone because I thought most people would say, "Yea, every mom thinks that about her child." So like Mary, I just kept this in my heart. But as I think about Brooke's life, I can share this now - because God has already used her in a very special way. His words have come to pass. Since she was 5 years old she has had a strong desire to be a missionary in China. She loved for me to tell her stories about Hudson Taylor who was a missionary in China. Her dream came true and she did get to go to China one summer as a missionary. She taught English as a 2nd language in the schools there. As you know China can only have one child per family. She told the class one day about her family. She started drawing stick figures of her siblings. First she drew one figure of Paige. Mouths started dropping when she drew a 2nd stick figure of Aaron. 2 siblings is unheard of. She drew another stick figure, then another, then another. They just kept coming. She was able to share with them that it is a blessing to have many children. Children are a gift from God. Not only did she go to China, but she has been to Ecuador many years. I'm not sure how many - maybe 8 or so? She even spent an entire summer there one year. She travelled all over teaching young girls about "Purity". Ecuador is a very immoral country - much worse than America. Not only was she able to speak about Purity but she was a living example. She saved her very first kiss when she became engaged to Chad. What a testimony to save yourself for your husband!!! She has touched so many lives and been such a witness and example to others. Yes, I can honestly say that God HAS already used her in a very special way.

When I was a child and picked out her name, I had no idea what it meant. I just fell in love with the name and knew that was what I was going to name my baby girl one day. I have now learned that the name Tiffany means Godliness. Brooke means Peaceful Dweller or Giver of Love. Names are so important and God knows us by name long before we are even born. Brooke has always been very strong in her faith and not ashamed to let people know what she thinks. She is very much like her Daddy in this way. She has shown God's love "to the ends of the earth." God knew the perfect name for her. My prayer for you Brooke, is that you will continue to be an example of God's love and share your faith with others. I know He is still going to use you in a very special way.

You are very special to me and I am so thankful that you have been my daughter for 22 years. Every day is a gift and I'm thankful that God has given me 22 years of being your mother. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKE!!!!