Letter B

Deciding on a subject for letter B was extremely difficult.  Should I go with bratwurst, Barack Obama, billy goats?  Bubblegum, Biltmore, booty shorts?Such a tough decision. 

Luckily I just so happen to know some fabulously cool people with the last name Bell.  More specifically, my dad Ronnie Bell.  Ronnie is actually my stepdad, but there are lots of folks that don't know that.  See - unlike some stepdads, Ronnie has been in my life since my earliest memory.  My mom and bio dad divorced when I was 3 and mama and Ronnie fell in love and got married when I was four (8/4/84 is their anniversary...neat, huh). 

Growing up, I totally took Ronnie for granted.  Now that I'm older and wiser, I realize that he didn't have to love me the way he always has.  He didn't have to treat me as his own.  But then again, maybe he did.  After all, what makes a child "yours"?  Is it based on DNA?  Or is it wiping tears, videotaping dance recitals, coming to awards day at school, getting out splinters, building sand castles, driving car pool, going on field trips?  I think it's the million little things that a parent does to nurture their child that makes a kid "theirs".  And Ronnie did all those things for me.

I don't want to discredit my bio dad here.  He loves me too and I know that.  But lets face it - every other weekend and 4 hours on Thanksgiving does not build that daddy-daughter bond that I'm talking about. 

That bond was built day in and day out - on good days and horribly rotten days.  Through years of me being a cute and playful child and the years of me being an angry and rebellious teenager.  Ronnie has been by my side for every joy and every pain that I've experienced since he and mama got married.  He has comforted me, made me laugh, made me mad, bailed me out of sticky situations, come to my rescue when people were mistreating me, taught me about responsibility and love and Jesus and honor and loyalty and honesty.  He moved me into my first apartment, walked me down the aisle when I married my prince, prayed me through my miscarriage, celebrated with pride the births of my girls.  He has shown me what it is to love the Lord and what it looks like to follow through on a calling He places on your life - even when it's tough.  He is disciplined and brave, sensitive and talented, strong and gentle.  I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he loves me and I pray that I can show him the depth of my gratitude for being the daddy he didn't have to be.