…there was a little brown-eyed girl whose grandma was once a high-fashion young lady in Germany seeking freedom from the war and fell in love with an American soldier, this little brown-eyed girls’ grandfather. Two years later, this young German lady, an artist, poet, and dreamer came back to midwest America with two little curly-haired girls, had a big family, and stayed put in that midwestern hand built house.
One little curly haired girl grew up and dreamt of being a teacher and a children’s book writer, but instead married a young Army soldier drafted to Vietnam, who won a bronze star for bravery while saving the life of a general.
This mommy of the little brown eyed girl left her teaching career to support the army man’s dream on the links ….the golf course. There was just one problem. In the winters in the midwest, the little white golf ball and the snow fall were the same color.
And so, this problem created an opportunity, and a life on the road in an RV. Chasing warmer weather and little white golf balls.
While on the road – the little brown-eyed girl learned bravery and entrepreneurship by peeling apart the juicy orange flesh of Florida tangerines and knocking door-to-door at the RV park collecting pennies in the same faded wooden salad bowl as the sweet tangerines. Her favorite pastime was playing school with her mommy. She dreamt of traveling the world, carrying back amazing stories and images from distant lands.
Every year, this family took turns migrating like birds to the warm winters in Mexico, Texas, California, and Florida.
Eventually, the little brown eyed girl had a curly haired baby brother and soon, the family stopped traveling in the winters and just stayed put in the warmth of the Sunshine state.
Though it was no distant land, she started telling the stories and won the class Poet Laureate in Fourth grade, started the school newspaper in fifth grade and won the science fair for photography in the sixth. She published her first book in seventh grade, as the yearbook editor. At school, she was a star. But at home, she watched with sad eyes while her parents grew further apart as her daddy chased those little white golf balls, and another woman. Her mommy worked overtime to keep a business afloat.
Something terrible happened. Her childhood was stolen, and she lost the sparkle and amazement in those big brown eyes, wondering if anyone knew, yet too scared to tell. She moved into her rebellious teen years seeking false freedom with drinking and boys, and skipping school full time- completely bored, her creativity stifled and unchallenged.
She went to church, but without connection, love or really knowing Jesus.
The little girl sought Freedom from her breaking home by pursuing more false freedom in a doomed- from -the- start marriage at twenty. In the blink of an eye, and in the same year, her marriage, her family business, and her parents’ marriage ended and her little brother’s first love was killed in an unspeakable accident. She didn’t know how to cope, so again she went on seeking false freedom.
This time, without looking for commitment, she met a real freedom seeker, a man who was different. His family too had been freedom seekers: they’d left Cuba during the freedom flights, following a cousin who build his own raft and floated away to grant freedom to many who would follow.
With this new man, she finally found that global adventure-and an escape from where she had been. Mr. Freedom seeker was well- traveled, well-educated, hysterical, and spoke many different languages. He made her smile and laugh again. Yet, it was overwhelming, and she had no place to hang the past. She sunk her brown eyes into addiction and left on a pilgrimage to China- studying roots of nirvana Feng Shui- Buddhism- still seeking freedom. Through the smoke and incense of ancient temples, larger than life golden statues, tai chi, and chanting monks, her spirit knew something was wrong. Fear had her cling to the gold crucifix on her neck placed there as a good-luck charm by her Mr. Freedom seeker, and she asked God to protect her steps- something felt wrong.
Upon return, after finally taking that camera around the world, she was invigorated and ready to share the adventure as she had always dreamt! Surely this was the freedom she sought! The brown-eyed girl, her addictions and Mr. Freedom seeker followed his escalating career to Las Vegas, straight into the life of a rockstar. He had the juice, and this town was in the palm of their hands!
Following her entrepreneur spirit, she called herself an “inspiring life motivator,” led the New Age/ Feng Shui movement on the Southwest part of the map, and publicly proclaimed “if you change your space, you can change your life.” Her years spent living La Vida Loca in Las Vegas while in leadership training and life coaching led others to find their path, but she kept her missing her own.
After four years together, the freedom seekers married in Belize. Strangely though, even before the birth of their first child, she knew she was called to homeschool, it was as though the winds whispered this instruction to her on a day of silence. She shared this vision with her supportive Cuban man and suddenly the world had exciting new possibilities.
The winds shifted after the birth of brown-eyed girl’s first born, aptly named for the wind, Makani, and this freedom seeking couple left everything in pursuit of more- this time across the globe to Europe. It was there, on a nine-month adventure of self-discovery and learning in the vineyards, through soil samples, rolling hills of sunflowers and grapes as far as the eye could see, history-rich cobblestone streets, famous landmarks and small town hospitality filled with smiles, trials, memories and tests, tribulations and celebrations that they discovered the True Vine is Real Freedom, and that “ Self-help is no help at all. Self sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self.” -Mark 8:35, MSG
After returning to Sin City, they discovered even the largest city of sin in the world is covered with His grace, and they were blessed to get to know His truly amazing goodness and mercy and take part in a move of God covering the city of lights with His light. Together, fifteen years later and now stronger than ever in the Lord, this adventure seeking couple, through Christ, have overcome many obstacles: addictions, financial failure, miscarriage, cancer, marriage challenges and more- And each test is yet one more act of the Master Gardener’s pruning to draw them closer to True Freedom in the True Vine. They are living their story, full of possibilities, love, and real adventure while homeschooling their sons in the Lord by the philosophy that Life is Learning.
Yes, I am the brown-eyed girl.
This is not the end. This is the next beginning. Each day is new.
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