Amanda's middle name is "Jean." We considered other options before she was born, but settled on "Jean." It rolls off the tongue pretty good, and sounds country-ish. But throughout her childhood and youth, she has frequently been referred to as Amanda "Joy" ... certainly not out of any disrespect for her real middle name, but simply because Amanda really is full of joy, and so much so that many have referred to her for the last few years as "Amanda Joy."
I mention this because "joy" really is the way that Amanda approaches life, and she hasn't let the recent health issues change that. I've known Amanda every day of her life ... I was there when she was born ... and I've been there every day since. I can tell you story after story about how Amanda has brought so much joy into this world, and lived her life as a testimony to joy.
One of my favorites takes place when Amanda - and her twin brother Caleb - were four years old. Every day, Amanda would hop out of bed in the morning, run to the nearest window looking outside, and then promptly run to me and exclaim, "Daddy, it's a pretty day!" It mattered not what the weather actually was outside ... as far as Amanda was concerned it was a pretty day. Rain or shine or clouds or whatever .... "Daddy, it's a pretty day!"
One day her brother Caleb had had all he could stand of it. :-) Caleb is the ever practical one ... once at the age of three, thanking God for "blacktop highways" in his bedtime prayer. And so, on this particular day, Amanda hopped out of bed, went to her favorite window, paid absolutely no attention to the fact that it was storming outside, ran to her loving father and exclaimed, "Daddy, it's a pretty day!" To which Caleb responded by jumping out of bed, and storming himself into my room to set the record straight ... exclaiming that it was NOT a pretty day because it was raining and thundering and lightening and all that.
Well, as you might imagine, Amanda was not deterred in the least, and I was able to use the occasion as a wonderful teaching moment ... that is ... any day we are together ... any day that I am with you, and you are with all of us ... any day that sees your smile ... any day that inhabits your praise ... any day that wraps itself around your love of God and grace for all His people ... any day that you are in ... that day, by default and by divine decree ... is a pretty day.
Amanda ... it's a pretty day.
love dad
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8 comments:
this is my very favorite post. have a pretty day family!
Haley;
You make the days pretty too when you come home from college and give so much of your time and attention to your family ... and your sisters absolutely love it.
love,
dad
Amanda,
I agree with your dad. You are always a source of joy whenever I have been around you. That is an amazing attribute that God has not given to all of us! I struggle at being joyfull!! Especially when I'm stressed out or tired!
Dan and I haven't shared this story with very many people. At the time, it was a very intimate decision in our lives. Your mom Cathy had passed away in Nov. of 1994. During her funeral I started feeling very sick to my stomach. We found out a few weeks later that I was expecting a baby. You can imagine the emotional roller coaster. Your mom just passed away, yet I was bringing life into this world.
Dan likes bland names such as Sue, Beth and Mary ect. (No offense to those names.) I'm a little more complicated than that. We agreed upon a boy's name Austin Daniel, however we couldn't agree upon a girl's name. July 19, 1995, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. I wanted to name her Lauren Ashley...but we decided to name our daughter Kesley ReAnn Keil. It was very important to Dan to name his daughter after your mom. As you can see Kelsey's middle name is ReAnn...after Cathy Ann. Re is a prefix that means again. Thus the name ReAnn!
As I've writtten to you before, your mom was a very good person. She was one of the most loving, caring, self-less, patient and kind individual I have ever met. Her faith in God was and is an inspiration to me. These are attributes I long for Kelsey to acquire.
What a blessing God has given you not just one mom but two. Your mom now is also a loving, caring, self-less, patient and kind individual with an incredible faith in God too...and the only mother that I know that can bake Oreo cookies!! (LOL) God has great plans for you, because he gave you moms that have found favor with him! Today is a pretty day! Lots of love..xoxox
Wow! I agree with Haley, this is my favorite post so far. The message landed on my heart.
Amanda and Caleb are old enough now to have a better appreciation for it too.
Amanda, I hope you are doing well this week following your chemo.
Kevin C.
Way to go dad. You could not have presented the gospel any clearer...nor defined your children any more accurately either.
After I read your post, and the 4 comments to it, I thought about those words for a while, thought about your family and the way you all have impacted my life. I can very sincerely say that your whole clan, without exception, has brought many "pretty days" to my life...and to many others as well. I have had the wonderful opportunity to interact with all of you at some level and as I think about those interactions I always walk away thinking, "gosh, I want to be just like Anna when I grow up!" Or, "I want to smile as much as Amanda does...how does she do that all the time?" Or, "Can Josh ever be frazzled?" (lol, I do know that he can, I've seen it, but it doesn't appear to last very long) Etc, etc. And you and Denise, what wonderful living examples you are to your children and the rest of us as well.
THANK YOU!! Thank you for pouring your life into your kids. Thank you for loving them so well. For loving us so well. For allowing your love of God to shine through, even in the midst of so many questions and doubts. Thank you for showing us how to be "real" with our faith. That just because we believe doesn't make everything easy, but you show us how to trust anyway. Thank you, thank you, thank you. My life is all the richer for having your family a part of it.
Many, many blessings!! With MUCH love,
Marc
I really like this post. its very true Amanda does bring joy with her wherever she goes!
I pray for you all every day!
-Tabitha Kohl
heyy amanda joy
how did ur test go today? were praying for you!!! and im soooo excited for this weekend :)
luv you tonnnzzz!
~Ruthie
Hey Amanda~
I just wanted you to know that my cousin Ruthie told me about you, and your story has been stuck in my head ever since. Any day that I feel like I'm having a horrible one, or feel like my life is just the worst, I think of you and remember that I don't have it so bad. Then each time, I pray for you. I mentioned you to my whole church and we are praying for you as a whole, and I just wanted to let you know that there are a lot of people praying for you all over the place. I live in Tallassee Florida, and all the people at my church wanted me to tell you God BLess and to let you know that everyone has been continuously praying for you. You really are an inspiration to me.
~Tori
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