Home Team

Visitors: a person who visits, as for reasons of friendship, business, duty, travel, or the like.

Addison Reid Bailey (2008)

Yesterday like many of the Christmas Eve's of the past nineteen years I traveled to different communities, neighborhoods and houses to drop some of my kid(s) off at their homes. I call it home because as Sting once sang in his song "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying":

"The park is full of Sunday fathers and melted ice cream
We try to do the best within the given time
A kid should be with his mother
Everybody knows that
What can a father do but baby-sit sometimes?"

Home is where a child belongs.

And though I value my role as a father, and see it as vital and significant, it is my belief that young children will always need the love and presence of their mother; a love, and presence, that can't be replicated or duplicated.

There is nothing like a mother's love; nothing like a mother's touch.

So with that being said, it was yesterday that I traveled to Addison's home after our Christmas Eve festivities that I was reminded of what a blessing it is to never be made to feel like a visitor in another persons home. In many situations the Holidays can be full of anger and anxiety; strife and stress for those that have blended families and unresolved anger and hurt from the past. I was reminded yesterday that scenario doesn't apply to me, and I'm very thankful for that.

Addison mother, stepfather and extended family have always treated me with great respect as Addison's father, and with genuine admiration and strong displays of affection.

They've never made me feel like a visitor.

I'm thankful for that and very thankful for the way Addison is loved and adored on a daily basis.

It gives me great comfort; tremendous peace.

Below is a letter I wrote Addison's mother and stepfather explaining to them how much I appreciate what they do.


 

I share the letter because I want to give hope to those that are struggling in a blended family that there is hope, it can work.

Life has a way of working out certain ways, and though I wish every children could only have one mother and father for a life time the fact of the matter is that isn't reality for almost anyone anymore; sad, but true.

So in the end it takes a bunch of people connected, and less connect than once before, to ensure that a child gets to experience family life at its best.

It's up to the adults to make sure that happens.

Thanks to Kelly & John, thanks to the Winter's and Hall's for making sure that "all" the kids get to experience childhood at it's best.

Thanks for recognizing that we are all on the same team... the Home Team.

Thank you very much.

A Beautiful Blended Bunch!

Kelly,

I wanted to send you a note and express my thanks and appreciation for the gift card you gave me from Addison. It was thoughtful and very sweet. You might have noticed I didn’t get you a gift from Addison this year. The reason being was that I wanted to send you my thoughts in written word; expressing to you how much I appreciate the love and the care you give your family. Addison is very important to me, as he is to you, but I’m most grateful that he sees a mother, a husband & wife, a family full of love each morning when he wakes up. I’m thankful that you put your family before yourself; Orin, Emery & Addison (Molly & Grace too) will realize when their older how significant you & John were in their lives as children.

Beautiful Children...
 

There are many a morning & night that Ronnie and I pray for our children, pray for Emery, Orin, Molly & Grace; pray for you & John. Our prayer is consistent and simple, but the potential outcome when our answered prayer comes to fruition is bountiful & full of matchless blessings. We pray for God’s protective hedge around all of us in each area of our life, that He will protect our marriages from outside influences and the world’s cavalier approach to the institution of marriage. We pray for Him to extend His protective hedge around all of us physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally, socially, financially & Spiritually. We pray for God’s favor in the area(s) of our lives that has the greatest meaning and has the highest potential to provide value. We pray that His favor will be extended to us in how we think and what we believe. We pray that He will enable us to create memories for our children and that we will always acknowledge the simplest items and the most meaningful things in life. Things like eating together each night, going to church together on Sundays and spending quality time with our family.

Addy, Baby O & Emery.

The reason I share this with you is because I believe that God is answering our prayers. It is a wonderful thing to observe, and a marvelous feeling to experience, when I (see) think about the care and love my son is getting from you and John, and your extended family. It touches me in a way that I can’t explain or describe. And for that I thank God for His many blessings and answered prayers, and I thank you & John for your wonderful daily actions that speak louder than any words you could possibly utter.

Kelly… Thank you for loving Addison so much.

Kelly, Orin & John

-Christmas 2010

John & Kelly… thank you for loving each other so profoundly; so deeply. Our children are watching us, and fortunately, or unfortunately, they will do many of the things they watched us do while they were children and growing into adults. Children are born blank slates, but we as parents write on that slate who they are and who they will become. We have tremendous influence over our children; not by what we say, but by what we do.

Thank you Kelly, thank you John, for going to great lengths to write something wonderful on the slate that is Addison’s life, something so beautiful on the tablet that is Addison’s heart.

I appreciate it.

Merry Christmas, 

Addison’s Dad

sbb 25.12.11

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 Piece of Clay . Marvin Gaye

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