Happy Birthday Aunt Wellie!!!!!!!!

Today is my Aunt Wellie's birthday. She is.........Um........Um......Well, I am not sure how old she is. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count that high. She lives all the way on the other side of the state. It is a 2 1/2 hour nap for me to travel over there. Unfortunately I don't get to see her very often. But, when we do get together, we have a lot of fun. The first time that I met her, she came to my house to see me. I was only weeks old. Then, Mommy and Daddy drove to Lake City for a "Weekend at the Cottage" with all my cousins and her. I was only 6 weeks old at that point so I don't remember very much. I have visited her in Grand Rapids and she gave me a tour of her house, and the building where she works.

Aunt Wellie works for Urban Family Ministries http://www.urbanfamilyministries.com/. She helps inner city kids realize that their future is shaped by the decisions that they make at this point in their lives. She is a mentor to many kids. She is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. About the only time that she has to herself is when she comes to Detroit to see me (because she turns off her cell phone), or goes to the beach (which sometimes takes kids with her). She lives by a creed, which I am sure that many have heard:

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."

This is proven out by what she does with the kids. It is not uncommon for her to bring many of the kids to Grandpa and Gramdma's (Steve's Dad and Mom's) for certain holidays or just for a visit. The picture above is from Easter (which actually took place the week after).

On Sundays she has lots of them over for Breakfast, as you can see from the photo above. Some of them have to walk a long way to get there, but they still come because they like hanging out at her place. Then it is off to church with all of them.

Aunt Wellie also mantains her own blog, ( http://www.hoodmama.blogspot.com/), which she posts many pictures of what she does with the kids. She has everything on it from trips to the farm, to master gardening classes, to just having fun with a garden hose on a hot spring day.

I find it hard to write down the difference that she is making in these kids lives. I am sure that they don't realize what is happening. But someday down the road they will see how important you where/are to them and they will thank-you for it. They many never tell you directly and the thank-you may come in a different form, but the thank-you will definately be there.

So, I wish you a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and I look forward to the times that we can spend together over the coming years.