May 3rd, 2008
Dear Ditto,
Just like Genesis, your sister, Ditto will be your name until we figure out if you are a boy or girl. Right now you are only about the size of two grains of rice, so we have a minute before we can find out what you are. I already know that you are beautiful. Anyone that comes from your mother and me has got to be. Really just your mother. If you are anything like your sister, you won't let us know until you pop out. She was stubborn like that. She hid her identity from us until the very end. It was crazy, but very exciting.
Anyhoo, lemme introduce myself. I am your daddy. By the time you read this, I would like to think that you would know that. Your mother is that beautiul young lady that you look up to. The woman who gave birth to you. And last but cedertainly not least, Genesis, that little girl that is always kissing you, is your sister. We all adore you. We are a kissing family. There are more of us...like your aunts, cousins, grandma and grandpa and stuff like that. But more about them in future letters. Like I said you are only the size of rice right now, but we love you the size of a thousand dinosaurs. And I pray that these letters express that when you think we don't. There is nothing that you can do in all of the days of your life that can make our love die. You are stuck with it like your skin.
In this household, we believe in our Lord, Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for you, me, Genesis and all of mankind. He is GOD's son. I know, I know, this might all be confusing to you right now. But, as the years grow you will understand where our heart lies. You will understand why we try to treat everyone equally. You will get why we try to bend backwards to help as many people as we can. You will see why we may not know what the future holds, but we remain confident cause we know who holds the future. And since we know that, than life is all good. Cause GOD (the one who holds the future) is all good. HE will protect us. And give us all the tools to protect you. Yay.
Well, I might be giving you too much to grasp in your first letter. By the time you read this, however, you probably would have been told this a million times. I have to go. Your sister is hungry and so is your mother. Chances are, you in your mommy's stomach, are hungry, too. Matter of fact, so am I. Let's eat!!!
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Keep it Natural.
Sunday, May 11th, 2008
My second letter to you. How are you doing? Have you fully grasped how much we love you, yet? Probably not. You won't understand it until you get much older. But, I know one thing is for sure, you will never be able to say I never told you. WE LOVE YOU! And take that love and times it by a million gazillion bonanifana dafillion times and you still won't get to the love that Jesus Christ has for us. Oh, and I will keep telling you that, too.
Today, your mother and I watched our wedding video. Wow! She was so beautiful in her stunning wedding dress. After you read this, go look at her...you will see what I am talking about. Cause she is just as beautiful now. She is a little koo-koo, but nevertheless, an incredible specimen that GOD made. On this day that I am writing this, we got married almost five years ago. By the time you read this, ain't no telling how long it will be. But, I am positive she will be just as fine. I feel like we kinda renewed our vows tonight. Your mother was a catch, if I don't say so myself. I am not altogether sure why the hec she decided to set her eyes on me. I bring her down. She should be standing at the highest mountain and my crazy self brings her down to earth with the rest of the mortals to gaze at. She stands in the light, while I bring a little darkness to the marriage. Without me she would shine a whole lot brighter. Alas, it was GOD's will that brought us together to teach us both a few things. Maybe when it is all said and done, I would have been able to shine as much as she did.
You, however, my wonderful, incredible seed...you, my friend, will shine brighter than the brightest stars. Your gleam will make lighthouses jealous. Your shine will give a full moon a race for it's money. I know this. There is no doubt in my mind. People will try to turn your light down. Don't let them. Let it shine, let it shine. Anyhoo, what was I talking about before...oh yea, the wedding...remind me to let you see the dvd. Our wedding was the bomb. And lucky for you that it was, cause it led to you and Genesis. If we didn't have a good wedding, then you might not even have been here. HAHAHA. Just joking. You were coming no matter what. It was all in GOD's plan. And speaking of plan, HE has one for you. Don't ever get your mind to thinking that HE doesn't. Don't let the devil convince you that you are worth nothing. GOD made you different so that you can make a difference. Study the Bible. Go to church. Find out what it is that HE wants you to do for your life. Cause there is a plan. You were created for a mission. The trick is to find out what that mission is.
It took me until recently to find out mine. I mean, I thought I knew it, but it was confirmed to me just this year. I finally completed this book called THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE, ( I am sure it will be around in some form when you start to read and understand what you are reading) and it spelled it out for me pretty easily. I am on this earth to entertain. I am here to spit truth through my spoken words and to show the world that a positive Christian brother that loves the LORD can still make you laugh in this evil world. I am here to teach ways to express yourself through poetry. Oh, and I am also here to be your daddy and to keep you in line when you fall out of it. And you will fall out of it. It is human nature. Don't get discouraged. I have fallen many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many times. Shoot, I just fell today. But you must not get discouraged. You must not be afraid to keep moving. Be strong. The devil will tempt you with evil thoughts and messages telling you to quit. But your daddy is telling you to NOT listen. If you don't listen to me, I am gonna give you a spanking. No, a whipping!!! I am telling you to keep moving forward with GOD's plan.
And I am also telling you that I have to go...Genesis, your sister just threw up all over mommy. This is the second time she has thrown up today. I pray that her stomach is okay. Well, by the time you read this, it will all be better. Yay. Remember, we love you.
But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Did you know that you are actually Ditto number two? Ditto Jr. Or Little Miss Ditto the second. And lemme think here a moment, you might even be Ditto the third. You are definitly our third child, but I am not sure if we called our first one Ditto. To fill you in, you had an older brother named Devin Farand Smith. Yes, I know that is my name, too. He only lived for a few hours. He was born waaaaay too early. And guess wha? We still loved him and continue to love him to this day. Imagine all that love we will have for you and you are gonna live waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay longer than a few hours. I am banking that you are gonna live a few thousand years. I say that because even after you are gone...your legacy will live on. You are gonna do big things while here on this earth. I feel it. You are the son of a KING and sons of KINGS always do big things!!!
It is kinda funy that I mention that. Cause lately, I feel like big things are about to pop in my life. And these feelings are different than the normal feelings that I've had all my life. I've always on the surface thought I was gonna do something BIG. But, lately they are of a future destined for greatness. Maybe because before I had been living on accident and now I am living on purpose. These thoughts of bigness (not a word, don't copy that one) seem more concrete. I feel like it is words from GOD. And when GOD speaks, the words are as solid as rocks. And I have a feeling that HE is telling me that things are about to get real around here. By the time you come out, our lives will be totally different. I will be the star of my own television show. ISN'T THAT GREAT? I will have either already shot or about to shoot a few movies that I have written with the fam (Jimmy, Dee, Mom, and this guy named Mike Flowers, I will introduce all of them to you later). We will have all the money that you need to feel safe and secure. We are not gonna spoil you, though. Wait a minute, yes we are. But, most importantly, we are gonna have a deeper connection to GOD by the time you come out. Material things and having money are very cool things, but they are no comparison to a real close relationship to GOD. And how great is it to have the family that you belong to, be so close to GOD? WONDERFUL!! Then we will fully be able to teach you how to develop that same relationship. Yay! I am excited.
Uh-Oh. I hear your big sister waking up from her slumber. I might have to end this letter prematurely. She is bound to be hungry. I am sure she had a pretty good work-out, too. The way she tosses and turns every night, you would think she is in the best shape a toddler could be. So, please forgive her if she is a little rough and tough with you at first. Her love will be strong. Well, I guess that is it, anyway for today. I just wanted to let you know my latest thoughts about what I think GOD is trying to tell me. I will see you on the other side...hahaha...get it...the other side...ahem...I thought it was funny. Talk with you soon. And, of course, we love you.
Geesh, Louise...I don't even say GEESH LOUISE!!! But, you are changing your mother into a different person. You are a handful already. And you are only about the size of my finger right now. Hahaha. It is all good, though, cause when you come out and become this shining star that lights up paths so we all can see better, you will be forgiven. But, geesh...right now...your mother is NOT your mother. She very well, might be LOUISE. She is this other being that only surfaces when she is pregnegro. It is not your fault, though. She was like this with your sister and with your brother BEFORE that. So, don't take it personal. The person that you should feel sorry for is MEEEEEE. I am the one that has to pay the price.
Lemme stop. I am kidding. Your mother is in much more discomfort and pain then I will ever be. And since we are on the subject, by the way, your mother is a trooper. I am talking a real trooper. In case, you didn't know, she didn't have to do this. I mean, now, she does, cause you are already growing in her stomach...but she made a choice to have another child. She loves Genesis sooo much, that she chose you...another child...to love just as much. WOW! isn't that crazy? Even though, she knew that it would be hard on her, cause of her Multiple Sclerosis and everything. Oh, yea, mom has Multiple Sclerosis. Don't trip, though, like I said she is a trooper. And I mean, a real life trooper. She is stronger than I could ever be. She smiles more than I ever do. And is one of the happiest people I know. She wakes up in a good mood. Not now...cause she is pregnant and I think it is a law that you can't be in a good mood for long periods of time when you are in this state. But on a normal day...you will see. She is a trooper!!! Multiple Sclerosis is hard enough, but to carry around a baby, also...man...you have to be one strong cookie. And the only other cookies that I know about are in my stomach.
So, make sure to tell her that you love her every single day that you alive. Let her know that you appreciate her. Let her know that you will always be by her side. Even when she grounds you or spanks you or yells at you, remember these days when you are in her womb, (well, you might not remember, but remember me telling you) remember how she carried you for nine months. Remember how there were days that she might not have wanted to get out of bed, but she did anyway. Remember her throwing up and feeling oh so nausaus, but still holding on to her dream. Yes, you are our dream. We have been waiting for YOU.
And then there is me. Yes, I am handsome and charming and one with so much bubling personality, but I get off easy. Your mom did all the work in bringing you here. That doesn't mean that you can just walk all over me. I am still your DADDY. And yes, you still have to listen to me. And I wouldn't mind if you told me that you loved me every now and then, also. Okay, so maybe I didn't walk over desert hot sands carrying a load on my back or swim over dangerous treacherous waters with sharks of doubt swimming closley behind me or even walk through the lows of any valley like your mom did, but I am still human. I may seem tough and rough and chisled and have numerous six packs on my stomach, but I am sensitive, too. And occasionally, I would like to know that you care for me as much as I care for you. Even though that might be hard..cause I care for you THIS BIG! No,
THHHHIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSS BIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGG!!!
And don't you forget it!
As always, this is your daddy signing off...can't wait to meet you. I love you. Your mother loves you...well...she might just love you more than me, now that I think about all that desert, water and valley stuff. But, I know for sure that GOD loves you more than the two of us combined. Till next time...keep your head up.
"But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24-1
Dear Ditto,Ahh, my dear, sweet Ditto. I will start this letter now, but I am not sure when I will be done with it. A lot of things are going on here at the house on this hot, sunny day. As a rule, where we live it is super duper hot in the summertime. No, you don’t understand, I am talking super duper, willy mammoth HOT. And to top things off, our air conditioner stopped working last week. It tends to do that when it works overtime. So, if you think that it is hot in mommy’s belly, at least you got a little GOD built air conditioning system going on. Needless to say, with the extra weight that I have hanging around my body, I am hotter than a rotisserie oven. And your mom…well…your mom is always hot on a normal basis. She exudes hotness. She defines hot. You will see. Just look up the word “hot” in the dictionary and you will see a picture of your mother. If you look closely, you might see me in the background. I am hardly noticed. I made it in the picture because your mom is so hot, that a little hotness rubbed off on me by association.I say that to say, that doggonnit…you must be hot, too. I mean, I am close to your mother, but I have never been a part of her. I have never been attached to her with umbilical cords and blood and guts and stuff. Matter of fact, I see the dictionary picture changing already. What is going on? I see my picture being faded out and yours and Genesis is becoming more and more clearer. Wow. You guys are just as hot as mom. Where am I? Ahhh, there I am. I knew that I, at least, still had to be in the picture. Without me, you wouldn’t even be here. See that little dot on the right hand corner. Yea, that is me…still hot…by association. Whew!We have been thinking of names since the day we found out you were coming. And I think we finally have everything geared and ready to go. We finally have a guy and a girl’s name. So, the choice is yours…what do you want to be called? If you knew the drama we have been going through to get the name thing figured out, you would pity us. We have gone around the world searching. Something not too ghetto, but yet a hint of ghettoness to prove your blackness. Something, so unique, but not unique enough to outshine the beautiful person that you are. You know some parents wait until after the child is born before they slap a name on it. They want to get to know child. They want to have a name according to how the child makes them feel. They want to try the product out first. Maybe if they don’t like the child, they will take the child back…after all; it hasn’t been named, yet. You have a couple cousins that are 30 and just got named yesterday. But, not us. We know you. Your mother feels you inside of her. I have grown accustomed to having these conversations with you through my letters. I see and hear you laughing. I see you playing with Genesis. She loves kissing mommy’s belly. Yea, we don’t have to wait. We have your name. We have your world, we have your life. We are your parents. We have your love. And you have ours.Until next time…see you later.But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Dear MY CHILD,
I know that it has been a quick minute since I last wrote you. And for you a quick minute is more like a year cause you haven't experienced that many minutes. Even longer cause in this phrasing, I am calling a quick minute a while..a long while...but anyhoo...I digress. A lot has happened since we last spoke. I am not sure if I can explain it all in today's letter, but rest assured it is all good. GOD is molding and chiseling away at me. HE is getting me prepared for you. HE is making me ready.
And today HE gave us great news to share with you. From this moment on, you will no longer be known as Ditto. The name was suppossed to be a nickname for your sister, when it didn't stick with her, we thought maybe we can pass it down to you...and nooooo...it probably won't stick with you either. That is okay. We now can put a name to you. We found out today whether you are a boy or a girl. It is such a crazy feeling, cause so much in advanced, we can prepare our lives for you. We can envision how you are gonna act, look like, talk, smile, laugh, cry...wow...you are shaping up to be one incredibly beautiful young girl.
Your oldest sister held out till the very end. We didn't know what she was until the moment she came out. It is just like her, too. But, you...you...my other princess, let us know right when the opportunity arose. So, be on the look out of your sister, she might be a little stubborn at times. She gets it from her mama! HAHA. But together, you two will be the most adorable kids on the block. The cutest kids in the city. The most beautifullest children in the world. And I will love you like I love air to breath. I will hold you like I hold on to memories. And I will be there for you like blood is there for us in our bodies. Wow. I have two little angels.
So, here is the first choice for your name. SERENITY. We think it is a keeper, but we have four months to change it. And who knows. You might turn fifteen and we will change your name to LA' SERENITY. Or INFINITY. Or DIVINITY. Who knows? But as for right now, I will write all my remaining letters to you addressing you at the top as DEAR SERENITY. Isn't that beautiful?
Well, allow me to go. I must get some work done. I have to pay the bills, you know. So, remember that when I appear too tired. Don't think that it is you. Ahh, who am I kidding...by the time you are born, I will be a major star on television or in the movies. PEOPLE magazine will be paying top dollar for your baby pics. I still will be tired cause I am paying the bills, but my work will be GOD's purpose and you shall live comfortably the rest of your life. Gotta go. I just had to drop you a line to share the good news with you.
I LOVE YOU, my daughter.
