Little Jimmy Dickens

Little Jimmy Dickens

Dear Jimmy,

It must seem funny that this family has come together like it has…and that love knows no distance of time or space. One day you will really get it. I have no doubt about that. You will really get it. You will understand the love and the sacrifice and the overall romance of it all.

I think you enjoy the distance…for several reasons. Mostly, you get to spend a lot of time with your Daddy without sharing him with me, Logan or Parker Dean. You have only Lizzy to contend with when it comes to his attention. And because you love a lot of the same things (baseball, the farm, hunting, fishing), it’s not too hard to get it. There is a lot of beauty in that. You two are totally connected.

Do you know when I first met you, I was so worried about whether or not you would like me? I wondered if you and Logan and Parker Dean would get along. But mostly I wondered if I would be able to love you and Lizzy like I love Logan and Parker Dean. I thought, “That has to be impossible, right?” How could I possibly love these two as much as I love my own kids? I didn’t know them as babies. I didn’t get to hold them and snuggle them and figure out how to help them. But the first time I met you, I knew instantly that everything was going to be okay.

You sat in Parker Dean’s stroller before we went into the zoo. And he was perfectly okay with that. In fact, he just wanted to push you! You, Logan and Parker Dean were instant friends. You played together so well that it felt like you always knew each other. You were always rocking a smile on your face. Your cheeks would light up all pink…your Daddy had already informed me about the little Jimmy Dickens smile, and he was right…it is awesomely contagious.

Over the past four and a half years, I have come to know you as the jumping bean who won’t sit still…even during a Yankee game. You are constantly clicking Nerf guns and bouncing balls on the floor (or the wall…or the ceiling)…always with a smile on your face. You are happiest with a ball of any kind, be it baseball, golf, or basketball.

And, boy, do we love watching you play! Despite the distance, I have had the great privilege of cheering you on at basketball games over the years...and you have really turned me into a baseball fan! I think your Daddy always felt like he could turn me into a baseball fan…but it was you! I absolutely LOVE watching you play. I like watching you sit in the dugout getting coached by your Daddy. I like watching you lean your arm against the fence with your bat down by your side as you cheer on your team. I like the hot Summer days, the exhausting All-Stars season (and the cool bag that came with getting into All-Stars), and sitting in the bleachers. You have really turned me into a fan. I even like watching MLB play. I love that you love Jeter and Judge as much as your Daddy loved(s) Mattingly. I love the you forgive me for loving Didi Gregorius, even though he’s not your favorite.

You have become quite adventurous…with your food choices. And, as a foodie, I love that about you. Do you even remember all of the different foods you’ve tried over the last few years? Gator tail and crab legs at Tacky Jacks during the Familymoon…Crab Claws at Lulu’s…you have even tried sushi! You even liked some of it! As it turns out, there are things out there other than Chic-fil-A and Moe’s. Now keep in mind I don’t knock those things…I love Chic-fil-A and Moe’s…so I get it. But there is this whole world of delicious food out there (I mean, I would never know that I love a peanut butter jalapeño burger if I hadn’t tried one!), and I am so glad that I have witnessed you trying some of it for the first time.

I love that you tell me when you don’t like something I cook. I get that, too. You don’t like the way I cook broccoli. Okay…I won’t make it for you. Believe it or not, I am not in the business of making kids eat gross stuff all the time. I find great joy in finding things that you do like, though. Like my famous sprinkle pancakes! I’ll be coming up to college when you go to Auburn…making sprinkle pancakes for your fraternity brothers…I can see it now!

You are considerate. You are so good at trying to think of stuff that other people like before you make a choice…even though the choice is yours. You love some Krispie Kreme. I know that you prefer that over Dunkin Donuts. And yet, you will choose Dunkin Donuts for breakfast because you know that Lizzy doesn’t like Krispie Kreme! That is really thoughtful, Jimmy, because you know good and well that she could eat dry cereal at home if you really wanted to go to Krispie Kreme. Really thoughtful. And there are plenty of examples of this.

We have so much fun teaching you things (like how to dive) and exposing you to new experiences through traveling. I know that this life we are all living seems a little crazy sometimes, but it has also opened doors to new experiences. I’m not sure you would have had an opportunity to learn to ski or go sledding if we didn’t have this crazy life. You are so good on the ski slope…and you have a blast sledding!

You just love to play and have fun. And we love to play and have fun with you. Some of my fondest memories of you involve games. Do you remember that I sent you and Lizzy a box of games to play with your Daddy before we met? I thought it would give y’all something to do together when you were with him…and you loved it! Guess Who, Uno, and Pie Face all evolved into FaceTime Game Nights. Do you realize that your Daddy and I used to make sure that if y’all were eating hamburgers for dinner on Game Night that we also ate hamburgers for dinner that night? Or spaghetti? Or pizza? I don’t think y’all ever caught on that we were all having the same thing for dinner on those nights!

Some of the best times we have had together have been at Lake Martin with DotDot and Bees (and all of the cousins). Your Daddy didn't grow up going up to the lake, but I did, and I was so excited to introduce you to the world of boating, tubing, and swimming around the boat. The first time we went up there, you Daddy told me not to be too concerned if you and Lizzy didn't like it...because he didn't think you would be "lake kids." I do love it when he is wrong! Kicking you off the inner tube is definitely one of my favorite memories...not just memories of you, but of all memories ever. It was especially fun when the tables turned and you pulled me into the lake when I tried to help you back onto the tube! That was so much fun!

I had the most fun putting together your Flat Stanley scrap book. I wanted it to be the coolest Flat Stanley scrap book that anyone in your class had…just so you would know just how much I loved you. Logan, Parker Dean and I went all over Wisconsin to assemble that thing…we wrote letters and took pictures and gave it a lot of pizzazz. I was truly honored that you asked if you could send Flat Stanley up to us.

You have a voice like an angel. Every once in a while I get to hear it in the car because you usually sit right behind me. And sometimes I hear it at night when your Daddy plays the guitar and we all sing before we say our bedtime prayers. I know it’s probably not your favorite thing to do because it doesn’t involve playing with a ball, but I love it when you sing. I love it when we all sing and pray together. That is my favorite family activity.

I hope you realize that, over the past few years, I have learned that it is definitely possible to love children who didn’t come out of your belly just as much as you love the ones who did. The biggest difference I can think of in how I treat them and treat you is this: Sometimes I feel guilty because I want to snuggle you like I’ve snuggled Logan and Parker Dean their whole lives…but I am trying to be respectful of your space because I don’t know if you would welcome that. But please know that I would welcome that if you ever felt like you needed a snuggle or a hug from me. 

I also think that sometimes you think I am hard on you. And I am sometimes…just like I am hard on Logan and Parker Dean and Lizzy. Think of me as a Coach. Your Coach will ride you because they know you can be better. If your Coach stops riding you, it’s because they’ve given up on you. I will not give up on you. I will continue to coach you…all of you. But I will also be a cheerleader...cheering on all of your accomplishments...big and small.

Happiest of birthdays to you, Jimmy Dickens. You are a bright and shiny blue sky, a sunny day, and I am a Jimmy Dickens fan. I love you.

Bean