Aunt Randie
The Treasure Hunt
Grandma gently tucked the warm blankets around her grandson. After a bath full of bubbles, splashes, and lots of giggles, he was finally in his coziest pajamas and ready for his bedtime story.
"Grandson, I know Aunt Randie meets you in your dreams, but tonight I want to tell you a story about her. You know the computer that you see Grandma working on? Let me tell you how I got it.
There was a magical place called Wanderlust. It wasn't a boring store with neat little shelves. Oh, no! It was a giant indoor treasure hunt!
On this day, Aunt Randie and I stood outside in a long line, bouncing on our toes! It was restock day, which meant everything in the bins was $10. The last time, Aunt Randie found an iPhone worth $1,100, so we were ready to dig for treasure!
When the doors opened, the hunt began. Aunt Randie was digging in a bin, held up a box, and said, 'Mom, do you want this?'
"I laughed and said, 'Put it in the basket. We'll figure it out later.'
At the end of our hunt, we pulled our baskets together. I realized I had found a real treasure: a brand-new laptop. That's right, Grandson. I found this laptop many years ago, and I'm now using it to do exactly what it was meant for.
Oh, I see you're getting sleepy, Grandson. Rest your eyes now. Maybe Aunt Randie will visit you in your dreams tonight. Grandma loves you, and so does Aunt Randie."
Be Like Davey 👑
Just Like Dad
The little boy drifted off to rest, his mind wrapped warmly in Grandma's stories. Before long, the edges of his sleep began to glow with a familiar, golden light, and Aunt Randie stepped right into his dreams.
"Hi, nephew," she whispered softly, her face beaming with that bright, beautiful smile. "Look at you sleeping. You are so incredibly handsome. Well, it is story time, sweet boy, and today we are going to talk about King David."
She sat beside him in the dreamscape, her presence feeling as real and warm as sunshine. "First of all, I want to make sure you have the perfect picture of King David in your mind. So listen closely and imagine this. Think about your dad with long, thick, beautiful locs. Picture a nice, warm smile, rich brown skin, and a strong, handsome face. You know exactly what your daddy looks like, and guess what? You look just like him. I just know that when all your teeth come in, you are going to have a smile exactly like his."
Aunt Randie laughed, a joyful, musical sound that filled the dream. "And think about this too—David could move really well. You know how your dad has that rhythm and likes to move? Are you starting to see the similarities? Your Grandma uses the hash #BeLikeDavey, because David is a shining example of what it means to truly love God.
"There are so many wonderful things about him that we will explore, nephew. People always say David was a man after God’s own heart. If you think about what that really means, it means you want to please that person. You want to be in total alignment with them, walking in harmony and agreement. I know those are big words but soon you will understand.
"Being a man after someone’s heart is a powerful thing, but it only matters if it is for the right reasons. Some people try to gain the heart of someone just to use it, but not David. If you are blessed enough to gain the heart of someone, it should be because you want to protect it, honor it, and do the absolute right thing with it. We are going to talk so much more about this, sweet boy, but let's get back to your rest."
Today we celebrate a young king on the day of his birth. What a gift!
Just Like Dad?
The Story of a King
When the morning sun peeked through the curtains, the young boy woke up with a huge smile on his face. He sat up in his bed, his mind still glowing from his dream about Aunt Randie and King David.
Getting to know my dad through my Auntie's eyes is so amazing, the little Prince thought to himself. Man, my dad is cooler than I thought. He really is a king.
Now that he saw his father in this brand-new light, he wanted to know everything about him. He hopped out of bed, thinking, Maybe I'll hear some more stories about my dad from Grandma today.
His wish came true faster than he expected.
Later that day, Grandma was sitting at her desk, typing away. When her grandson walked up, she pulled him into a warm hug.
"I was just writing about your dad, MJ," Grandma said, resting her hands on the keyboard. "If you really want to understand the king, my sweet Prince, you have to know a little bit about his background."
She paused and looked at him with that familiar, storytelling twinkle in her eye. "Today, I am writing the story about your dad and his two fathers."
The little Prince tilted his head, his eyes wide with curiosity. Two fathers? How did my dad have two dads?
"I know it sounds a little confusing at first," Grandma chuckled, seeing the puzzled look on his face. "But have a seat, my sweet boy, and let me explain."
Aunt Randie's Famous Mac & Cheese
I Want You To Meet Your Grandpa
Grandma called Prince over to the computer, I want you to meet your Grandpa.
To Be Continued... the story is still beautifully developing, writing itself day by day.
The Walkie Talkie Dream
That night, the little Prince drifted off to sleep with one specific wish on his mind. He had seen some kids playing with walkie talkies earlier that day, and he thought about how fun it would be to have a pair of his own to talk to his friends. I would really love to have some walkie talkies, he thought as his heavy eyes finally closed.
Deep in his dreams, the quiet night was suddenly interrupted by a soft crackle of static.
"Breaker, breaker. Hello? I'm trying to break through to my nephew!"
Just like that, the space filled with a warm, golden light and Aunt Randie appeared, holding a bright, shiny walkie talkie up to her mouth. The Prince looked down at his own hands and realized he was holding the matching one! They immediately started going back and forth, laughing and pressing the buttons on the side to talk.
"I came to give you a special message today, sweet boy," Aunt Randie’s voice crackled happily through the little speaker. "I want you to always remember that it is absolutely okay to be brilliant and to shine. Your dad, MJ, was outstanding even when he was a little child. Do you want to know why? MJ truly loves God, and God gives special attention to those who love for pure reasons. Over."
The Prince pressed the button on his side. "What are pure reasons, Aunt Randie? Over."
"Well, think about it like this," she replied. "You know how you really wanted these walkie talkies? If I told you, 'I will only give you the walkie talkies if you do my chores for a month,' that is an example of a reason that is not so pure. It comes with a catch. Over."
The Prince thought about that for a second. He held down his button. "Oh! So, if you just give me the walkie talkies simply because you want me to be happy... that’s a pure reason? Over."
Aunt Randie beamed with the absolute brightest smile. "You got it, Prince!"
And just like that, with a final crackle of static, Aunt Randie was gone.
The next morning, the sun peeked through the window. The Prince woke up, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and sat up in bed. Sitting right there on his nightstand, waiting for him, was a beautifully wrapped present.
Can you guess what was inside?
God Is Everything!
Aunt Randie & Prince Visit The Library
The children's section of the library was a colorful playground of endless wonder. The little Prince running excitedly from one station to the next, stacking giant foam blocks, spinning the interactive globes, and pulling brightly colored books from the perfectly sized shelves. He was having the absolute best time, giggling as he bounced from a cozy reading tent to the computer station. When he finally spun around to hand a book to the librarian, he stopped right in his tracks.
Sitting behind the big wooden desk, wearing a bright, beautiful smile, was Aunt Randie.
She pulled a familiar-looking book from the stack in front of her. The cover read Hit It Boys.
"I sure hope your Grandma finishes the next book in this series, and all the other books she's got inside her," Aunt Randie said, her voice singing with warmth. "I think one of them was even called An Alarm Clock Goes Off. Your grandmother really is a wonderful writer."
She stepped out from behind the desk, walking with him as he happily wandered over to a giant floor puzzle.
"She has so much wisdom in that head of hers," Aunt Randie continued, handing him a puzzle piece. "You know, nephew, when I was growing up, I was feeling all kinds of big, frustrated feelings inside. My heart was confused, and I didn't know how to let it out without getting into trouble. But your Grandma sat down right beside me and taught me how to journal. She showed me how to take all that heavy, tangled-up confusion and pour it out safely onto a blank page. Because of her, I fell completely in love with words."
As the Prince crawled playfully through a bright yellow reading tunnel, Aunt Randie walked right alongside it. "I want to tell you about one very special paper that came from our love of words and stories. I remember when I turned that paper in at school, my teacher was so blown away that she gave me the highest grade in the class! She even held it up as an example for everyone else to learn from. We titled that paper 'The Permission to Question.'
She knelt down at the end of the tunnel to meet him face-to-face. "A lot of people will try to tell you, 'Shh! Don't you ever get mad, don't you dare be impatient, and don't you ever question God.' They think God is like a fragile tyrant who gets angry the second you have a bad day. But that’s not true at all my Prince!"
"Think about the great heroes, nephew. Look at Jonah. He got so frustrated and was so done with trying to understand the plan that he ran away, eventually finding himself completely isolated in the belly of a giant fish! Sometimes, sweet boy, it takes a whale of a moment for us to finally stop, sit in the quiet, and ask God to help us understand.
"And then there is Job. Job was a faithful, blameless man, but he was hurting. He sat right in the dust and was completely real about his frustrations, his questions, and his suffering. He didn't hide his pain; he brought it all to the light and let God walk him right through a beautiful #feeldealheal process. And you know what? In Job’s story, it took a brave young person to step up and tell the older folks like it is! Sometimes it takes a bright young mind—just like yours—to remind grown-ups that it is absolutely okay to ask why.
"For both of these men, those big miracles made it crystal clear that God had been standing right there with them all along, no matter how lonely it seemed. Because they were brave enough to ask the hard questions and be completely honest, they got to know God in a deeply personal way. They didn't just have a relationship, nephew—they had a REALationship.
Talking to God about your real, messy feelings isn't being bad—it is exactly how you build a REALationship.
"When you are honest about your confusion, you are talking, you are listening, and you are staying close. God is plenty big and plenty strong enough to handle all your questions, your tears, and your truth. God can take it, and God will always meet you right where you are. And don't forget to tell God about your joys!"
Aunt Randie stood up and laughed a warm, musical laugh, gesturing to the rows of books. "You know, usually people tell you to be quiet in a library. But in this special library, you can run, you can talk, and you can even be loud! Wait a minute... I think there are some special skates for you over there. Let's go skating, nephew!"
The Prince gasped with delight, lacing up a pair of magical, glowing roller skates. Together, they zoomed and twirled down the wide, carpeted aisles of the library, spinning past the bookshelves with pure joy.
As they glided in a wide circle, Aunt Randie smiled brightly at him. "You know, nephew, you'll see God in everything. The birds, the bees, the flowers, and trees. God is in you and in me. God is simply EVERYTHING!"
She lit up, glowing with a brilliant, joyful light. She took one final, beautiful spin on her skates and gracefully transcended right into the sparkling air.
The Prince let out a loud, joyous belly laugh that echoed through the library.
In the waking world, his Momma heard the happy sound and hurried into his bedroom to see what he was laughing about. She peeked over the edge of his bed, but guess what? He was fast asleep! She smiled softly, knowing exactly what was happening. He was having another dream visit with his Aunt Randie. She gently leaned down, kissed his warm cheek, and let him rest.
Click here to read Aunt Randie's complete essay: The Permission to Question
*Note: In these stories, the name "God" may be interchanged with the Most High, the Creator, the Divine, or the Universe. God is Spirit—infinite and completely unbound by human constructs of race, color, gender, or background. Just as the Creator is not limited by these earthly boundaries, neither are we.
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