70 Years

Thursday, June 22, 1944. The average annual salary was $2,600. A family could purchase a car for $1,200 and fill her up with gas at 21 cents a gallon, stock the pantry and fridge with bread and milk for less than $1 combined, and drop a letter in the mail stamped with 3-cent postage.

Just two weeks after the Allied Forces’ D-Day invasion, the eyes of the world were fixed on the events of World War II. But a family in Needham, Massachusetts, only had eyes for their newborn son, Gary Neill Thompson. William and Fanny Thompson held their son as President Franklin Roosevelt signed the GI Bill of Rights to provide financial aid to veterans returning from the war. And later that evening, the Phillies beat the Boston Braves 1-0 in the longest shut-out in Phillies’ history (a mere 15 innings).

Gary made his debut in 1944, along with Danny DeVito, George Lucas, Diana Ross, Tony Orlando, Gladys Knight, Barry White, Joe Frazier, Roger Daltrey, and, yes, even Jerry Springer. Benjamin Green invented sunscreen for the troops’ protection and went on to found the Coppertone Company. Bing Crosby held five of the top ten spots on the US Billboard charts with hits including “Swinging on a Star” (#1), “I’ll Be Seeing You” (#3), and “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ra” (#9). Capturing four Academy Awards, Casablanca was awarded Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.

The 1940s were indeed a special decade. The men and women of the Silent Generation have been deemed “the Lucky Few.” They grew up during an era of stifling conformity, yet bursting with postwar bliss. Peace! Jobs! Television! Rock ‘n Roll! The ‘40s certainly made their mark on world history, but more importantly they were the first page of what would become my history.

  

On January 25, 1981, I gave Gary Thompson a new name: Daddy. They say there’s something special about the bond between fathers and daughters, and that has proven true in my experience. The landscape of my childhood is dotted with countless memories of my dad. From my very first birthday cake, lovingly baked from scratch and expertly carved into a teddy bear, to the countless school lunches consisting of sandwiches of exquisite precision and craftsmanship that were the envy of the lunchroom, my dad has been thoughtfully involved in every aspect of my life, right down to the smallest details. In fact, if my calculations are correct, my dad made over 2,000 lunches during my school career, even into my senior year of high school…and that was in addition to the mornings during elementary school when he woke up extra early to crimp my hair from roots to tip.

My mind is flooded with my father’s thoughtful touches all over the pages of my life story. The small plastic Christmas tree he placed in my fish tank during the holidays so even the goldfish could celebrate the season. The Saturday mornings spent at Putt-Putt’s Super Saturdays over a game of mini golf, a slice of pizza, and a coke. The countless basketball games and sporting events, cheering proudly from the stands, even though I was a mediocre cheerleader and an even worse basketball player. The hours spent filling up my car with gas, changing my oil, balancing my tires, and even making a custom bud vase for my Volkswagen Jetta after I eyed the vases that came standard in the Beetle. The time he stopped to build a snowman on an out-of-town business trip and put it in a cooler so he could bring it home for me. Or the time He drove from Albany to pick me up from yearbook camp in St. Petersburg and then turn around and drive me to youth camp in Toccoa Falls. And all these merely scratch the surface of 30+ years. If it’s true that “love” is spelled t-i-m-e (and it is), then my father has loved better than any other I know.

But even beyond the expressions of his love, my daddy has taught me countless life lessons that have made a lasting impact on my life and the life of my family. He is the most fiercely loyal man I know, and he is steady and consistent. I watched him work honorably for the same company for over 25 years because he believed in commitment and honoring his word to the man who offered him the job. Every Saturday since we opened the Prayer Chapel (now the Prayer Tower) at Sherwood, he has faithfully filled his 7:00am time slot week after week. And this Sunday, on his 70^th birthday, he’ll stand behind camera #3 and serve behind the scenes on the media team as he has since Sherwood was founded (okay, maybe not quite that long).

My dad has taught me the value of hard work and wise financial stewardship. He is extravagantly generous in giving of his time and his resources. He taught me to balance a checkbook and make sound financial decisions. I’ve watched him give again and again, from money to meals to building campaigns, mission trips, scholarships, and more. He has held money loosely, viewing His financial blessings as a means to bless other people. I owe all of my perfectionist tendencies to my dad. And though frustrating at times, he has always modeled excellence in every project or assignment he undertakes. “Measure twice, cut once” applies not only to his carpentry skills but also to going above and beyond to be sure things are done correctly the first time. If better is possible, then good is not enough – my dad has lived this, whether shining his shoes and cutting his own hair or reassembling a lobster body for my 5^th grade project on the state of Maine.

I have enjoyed watching my dad love people. He’s kept a standing “appointment” to visit his best buddy Nathan every other Saturday for years now. He lovingly and selflessly cared for Mrs. Beard, as his weekly chauffeur service to church turned into frequent visits to the nursing home sharing a Whopper Junior. He fiercely defended and provided for this precious woman without a second thought to his own conveniences. He has loved his pastor and supported him wholeheartedly through his prayers, service, and giving. My dad has “bought into” every vision, every new endeavor, and every step of faith, not blindly following but loyally supporting the man of God at Sherwood. And I’ve never heard him speak ill of Michael – “roast pastor” was never on the menu for Sunday lunch at our house. And, as these small snippets can attest, he has loved and provided for his family with extravagant devotion and thoughtful expressions over and over and over again.

Dad, I can’t possibly summarize the impact of your life in a couple of pages, and my attempt falls miserably short. I honor you on 70 years of a life well-lived. You are an incredible father and friend, and I’m so grateful to be your daughter. Happy Birthday!

I love you,

Stephanie

happy first birthday, thompson!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Dear Thompson,

It’s 11:12pm on the eve of your first birthday. Daddy and I have been sitting here looking through pictures of the day you were born. My mind is flooded with memories of that day—the sound of first breath leaving your lungs, the look of pride on your dad’s face when he saw you for the first time, the feel of your soft skin against mine, the tears running down my cheeks as I whispered “thank you” to the Lord, the sight of you tipping the scales at 8 pounds, 11 ounces, the praise from doctors and nurses who were amazed I had birthed you without any pain meds :).

You’ve brought such joy to my life! And oh the countless things you’ve taught me in your short 365 days. Your dependence and frailty have taught me to depend solely on my heavenly Father and lean hard on Him; He alone is enough. Your wonder and awe at the most common of daily occurrences has taught me to bask in the beauty of simplicity and ponder the great God behind it all. Your smile and laughter have taught me to lighten up and not take myself too seriously. Your childishness has reminded me what it truly means to have childlike faith. The older I get, the more I realize the less I know…and each day that I grow older, I hope to grow more childlike.

In one moment you changed my life forever. You did what no one else will ever do—you made me a mother. It’s a new hat I wear proudly, and you’ve been incredibly gracious and easy going during my inaugural year. You’ve been a channel through which God has poured out measureless grace and wisdom without reproach. You’ve been the means through which our heavenly Father has demonstrated His faithfulness, provision, lovingkindness, longsuffering, strength, power, and consistency on a daily basis.

I’m so grateful the Lord taught me to breathe deeply and soak in every moment of your first weeks and months of life. They were difficult as I navigated the world of motherhood, but I cherish so many tender moments in my heart—reading Scripture over you as I fed you at two o’clock in the morning, pleading for wisdom from the Lord when parenting a newborn took an unexpected turn, singing hymns and other melodies to you as you drifted to sleep in my arms, praying aloud over your life as I held you before bed and naptime, singing with Daddy each night as he played guitar before bedtime, prayer walking through our neighborhood as you snoozed in your stroller, sneaking back into your room after you fell asleep just to stare at you (I still do that!).

The prayer I pray most often for you is that you will come to know the Lord at an early age and that you will follow Him with your whole heart all the days of your life. I pray the lessons you’ve taught me in this first year will be lessons you learn early in life. I pray the Lord so captures your attention and affections that the allurements of this world do not fascinate you. I pray you live up to your namesake, that you would be a fiery warrior for the sake of Christ. I pray you would have a tender heart that is compassionate and caring, but a fierce spirit that is tenacious and unyielding to stand for truth without compromise. I pray you don’t enter into any seasons of rebellion and that when you sin you are caught quickly. I pray you develop such a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that you respond to His voice immediately when He beckons. I pray you learn obedience through the examples set before you and not through your own mistakes. I pray you have a passion to follow Christ and a maturity to pursue holiness that far surpasses your years. I pray your heart breaks for the least of these and that you share the hope of the gospel with those around you. I pray that you would grow in your knowledge of Christ, coupled with wisdom to make godly decisions. And most of all, I pray you would love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Happy Birthday, T-Rice! It’s such a privilege to be your mom. But with that privilege comes great responsibility. I pray for grace and wisdom to steward your life in a manner worthy of the Lord. I love you, not for what you do or how you make me look, but because you’re my son. Thank you for the most amazing 365 days…I look forward to thousands more.

I love you to the moon and back,

Mama

seven months old

Thompson, you are seven months old. Where has the time gone? This stage of life with you is so much fun! You are eating everything in sight and prefer "table food" over anything else. You still love avocadoes and bananas, but we've also added strawberries, blueberries, chicken, turkey, cheese, yogurt, artichokes, rice, bread, squash, waffles, and much more to your expanding palate. You love it all! The only thing you've ever turned your nose up to was peas. :)



You are rolling all over the place, and occasionally you get one leg underneath your body and try to push off. It won't be much longer before you crawl, but Mommy is happy to keep you immobile for a while longer. You love to chatter and squeal, as you are a very vocal baby. You still sleep 13 hours at night and take two 2-hour naps during the day. You're wearing size three diapers and your clothes are 6-12 months or 12-18 months. You weigh 20 pounds, and you're nearly 30 inches long!

 

Your hair keeps getting lighter, and it's finally long enough to lay down without too much coercing. You are sitting up all by yourself, and you love to spread out and play in the living room floor. Phineas is probably your favorite member of the family, and you absolutely love his puppy kisses.


During the last month, you had the opportunity to meet your great-great-grandmother from Missouri. It's incredible that you have four living grandparents, five living great-grandparents, and three living great-great-grandparents! The picture below represents five generations of Bennetts.

You've become quite the wiggle worm, particularly on the changing table. We keep you distracted with a toy so we can get you changed and dressed. You love to read books and play with your blocks. You still love the bathtub, but you especially enjoy sitting on the floor of the shower while Daddy takes a shower. You laugh and play and splash in your bumbo seat.

 

We can't believe that in a few short months we'll be celebrating your first birthday. Mommy may have already reserved the location for the big event!

We love watching you grow and change and learn new things each day. You brighten our mornings with your smiles and giggles. You are honestly the happiest, most content baby we have ever met. You've spoiled your parents rotten! You've been an incredible gift to this family. We love you, Thompson!

six months old

Thompson, you are six months old! I'll start with one of your five-month pictures, seeing how I neglected to do a blog post on that milestone. :)

You are growing up so quickly, and you continue to be the sweetest, happiest baby on the planet. The biggest change over the past month has been your introduction to solid foods. I prepare your food myself, and so far you've tried avocados, bananas, mangos, pears, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes. Your favorites seem to be avocados and bananas. People can't believe you eat avocados...even the nurses at your 6-month visit were shocked! You tried baby yogurt for the first time yesterday and LOVED it. And Daddy and I might have snuck your first bite of a vanilla cupcake over the weekend. (But that's our little secret...you probably liked it too much.)

You are still rolling all over the place, and you're getting better and better at sitting on your own. We think you'll have mastered it very soon. You "swim" on your tummy, and you've just started pulling your knees up under your body, so you'll probably be crawling in no time. You talk and coo and babble constantly, and you're starting to string syllables together and sound as if you're talking in sentences. I'm convinced you've said "Mama" a few times, but Daddy's not buying it.

Daddy has found your best tickle spots, and he can make you laugh louder and harder than anyone else. You are also incredibly fond of Phineas, and you laugh whenever you see him. I think you guys are going to be good friends.

You have transitioned to a 4-hour feeding schedule beautifully. You still sleep from 7:15pm until 8:00am...and some mornings you even sleep until 8:30am! You nurse four times each day, and you eat three solid meals that line up with our family meals. Daddy and I enjoy our time spent around the dinner table with you each day. Some days we are incredibly blessed to share all three meals together as a family of three! You take two 2-hour naps each day, and occasionally you'll catch a late afternoon catnap.

I mentioned this on my Facebook page last week when you officially turned 6 months old. Six months. It feels like an eternity when waiting for something or someone with much anticipation. Yet it passes like a blink of the eyes when enjoying that long-awaited gift. Happy six-month-iversary of your birth, Thompson! :) God has revealed great measures of his grace and limitless depths of his love to us through your precious life. We are honored and overjoyed with the privilege of being your parents.

four months old

Thompson, there are days when we wish we could make time stand still. You have been such a joy over these past four months. In fact, one of your teachers in the nursery today said that you have spoiled us...and you have! You're such a wonderful, good-natured baby, and we are delighted to be your parents.



We'll find out this week how much you weigh and how long you are now. Everyone comments on how big you are! Your hair is most often the topic of conversation. It sticks straight up, and nothing we've tried will make it stay down. You have the most amazing, expressive eyes, and your smile lights up a room. You love to smile and laugh, and you coo and talk to us all the time. We love waking you up in the mornings because you're always so happy and excited to see us. And now you're scooting around in your crib, so we're never quite sure how we'll find you...this morning you had turned almost completely around! You've also rolled over from your tummy to your back, and you're very close to rolling from back to tummy.

You are liking bathtime more, but you refuse to put your feet and legs in the water. When we push them under the water, you immediately draw them up and rest your heels on the surface. It's the funniest thing! You have loved music since you were born. Daddy and I sing you to sleep each night, and you get so excited when you hear Daddy start to play the guitar. When we were at the beach last summer, Daddy picked out a stuffed lion for you. We named him Wrigley, and now you sleep with him each night. We catch you hugging him closely and smiling at him in your crib.


Your class at church is bursting at the seams with new babies, so you got promoted today. Typically they don't promote up until you are sitting up or six months old, but they moved you up early. (Daddy says you're an overachiever like me.) We've gotten used to you being the center of attention, especially at church. When we walk through the Atrium, everyone stops to see you and talk to you...and sometimes they remember to nod in our direction.

We are so grateful for you, Thompson, and we often sit and stare at you, imagining all that God has planned for your life. Even now, we pray that you will be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, that you will be fulling pleasing to Him, that you will bear fruit that remains, and that you will increase in the knowledge of the Lord (see Colossians 1:9, 10). We love you, T-Rice!

a valentine project

Thompson and I made Valentines tonight for his wee care workers and Sunday School teachers. I'm so grateful for the men and women who love on our son and take such wonderful care of him each Sunday. So during this special time of year, we want them to know how special they are to us!

I traced Thompson's hand on cardstock for an inexpensive, yet thoughtful Valentine greeting. Coupled with a giant Hersey bar (on sale at Walgreen's 2/$3), we've got sweet Valentines!

(And please disregard the scissors. They were out of Thompson's reach. Besides, we won't let him use the good scissors until his first birthday.)

"If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 4:11 



thirty

I turned 30 a couple of weeks ago. Surprisingly to me, it wasn't the earth-shattering, end-of-life-as-I-know-it event that some people had made it out to be. Honestly, it was just another day.


My husband certainly made it a memorable one, pulling off a fabulous surprise dinner with my close friends and family three days after my milestone so I wasn't suspect in the least! But prior to my secret celebration, he arranged for a sitter and took me to Thomasville for dinner at our favorite spot, Jonah's.

I love car rides with my hubby because we never lack for conversation. In true 30 fashion, our chit-chat revolved around that rather unintimidating number. He listed 30 things he loves about me, and we bantered back and forth about the 30 most memorable events throughout our relationship. It was one of those times I wished I had a video camera to record every utterance, every laugh, and every glance because the detailed memory fades too quickly.


The ride home was more of the same. But I pulled out paper and pen when we began discussing 30 things we'd like to instill in our son. This certainly isn't an exhaustive list, though some of you may think it's exhausting! I don't think I can even grasp how valuable this list is or will be to us in the future.



So, to our precious son, full of innocence and potential and wonder, here are 30 things we hope to teach you or instill in you as we shepherd your heart and steward your life. (They occur in no particular order...)

1. Your purpose is to glorify God, and your goal is to live a life worthy of Christ.
2. You are to treat women with dignity and respect.
3. A deep admiration, loyalty, and love for family.
4. You are no more deserving of the love and grace of God than someone else.
5. An understanding of mature, biblical manhood and womanhood.
6. The joy and necessity of Scripture memory.
7. A deep, abiding love and insatiable hunger for the Word of God.
8. The value of close friends.
9. A humble compassion for "the least of these".
10. An understanding of the pricelessness of purity.
11. A comprehension of the vastness of the lost world, coupled with an understanding of the magnitude of the power of the gospel to change lives.
12. The power and freedom of forgiveness.
13. A strong work ethic and an appreciation for doing things with excellence.
14. The value of laughter and fun.
15. Always have God at the bottom of your joy.
16. Circumstances do not hinder the power of Christ.
17. Honor those who've journeyed further than you and spend more time listening to them than talking to them.
18. The importance and timelessness of a thank-you note.
19. The reality that we do not battle against flesh and blood.
20. The ability to dance...and make up an impromptu rap. :)
21. Life and death are in the power of the tounge.
22. The wise see danger and seek refuge, but fools keep going and suffer for it (Proverbs 27:12).
23. God never wastes experiences.
24. Salvation is an act of God from start to finish.
25. The courage to stand for what is right regardless of the sacrifice.
26. Never underestimate the power or consequence of one simple act of obedience or disobedience.
27. How to manage God's time discerningly as priceless gems and how to be a wise financial steward.
28. Dream BIG!
29. The importance of honesty and integrity.
30. You will be shaped by the places you go, the books you read, and the people you meet.

It's a tall order, but we don't want to go wandering through parenthood aimlessly. Maybe in 30 years, when you're pondering 30 things, you can quiz us on our list. By God's grace, we'll instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.

30 has come and gone. But I'm grateful for a milestone turned into a priceless memory.

three months old



Thompson, you are three months old today! Everyone--and I mean everyone--told us how quickly time would pass once you arrived. And they were right! Your daddy and I think you are absolutely the happiest and sweetest baby on the planet. You wake up incredibly happy in the mornings, smiling and cooing at us when we come in to get you. You are sleeping for a 9- or 10-hour stretch at night, while still on a 3-hour feeding schedule during the day. Plus you’re a great napper!

You’ve started talking and smiling a lot more, and we LOVE it! The only time you really fuss or get upset is if you’re hungry. Otherwise, you are incredibly chill, and you’re very flexible and go with the flow. We think you weigh around 15 pounds...we don't know for sure because we won't go to the pediatrician again until your 4-month visit. You wear a size 2 diaper, and you are in 3-6 months and some 6-9 months clothing. I’ve already packed up a bin of clothes that you’ve outgrown that now resides in the attic.

I have started back to work, so Kiki stays with you two days a week. You’ve adjusted very well, and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to work at home two days a week. You spend Fridays with Daddy, and he loves having you all to himself.

You love playing with the toys hanging above your play gym, and you're also a fan of your bouncy seat. But you're also just content to lie on our bed and look around the room! Daddy and I are so grateful for you, and we love you to pieces!