When asked to write my very first blog about my daughter and the trip she’s currently on, I thought about how I would ever be able to explain what my thoughts were, and even more about how I could reign them all into one blog! But I’ll give it my best shot, and see where it goes from here.
To start, let me tell you a bit about my beautiful daughter Brooklynn. Or Smooch, Smoochy, Schmoops, etc. as we call her. She got her nickname because when she was a toddler, she had these adorable puffy cheeks, fair skin, and red lips, and when you asked for a smooch, she’d pucker up so big it’d melt the coldest and hardest of hearts in seconds. She still answers to Smooch. But those puffy cheeks are long gone, as are the days when I asked my baby girl for another kiss just to see her pucker up and melt my heart once again.
Let’s fast forward a bit. At the age of 9, our family was called into full-time ministry in Wyoming. From the suburbs of Chicago to Meeteetse, Wyoming (population 327) we sold our home and jumped in with both feet straight into the cowboy/ranching culture that only Wyoming can offer. But Smooch, she does things differently. While we were jumping in with both feet, I’d say she must have dove in head first! Because that’s just how she rolls. She does nothing halfway. There are no shortcuts. When it comes to living, Smooch is all or nothing. Straight on and head first. No fear, or at least none she’ll show you. When we got there and started riding horses, she basically just jumped on and off she went. While dad was busy learning to trust these very large creatures from the comfort of my own cowboy boot-clad feet.
At age of about 12 or 13 (6th grade), she started playing volleyball at school and I started driving bus on the weekends. On one of our first trips together, she jumped on the empty bus and claimed her seat in the very back row and patiently waited for the rest of the team to arrive and board the bus. To her dismay, the older and larger 8th graders got on the bus and promptly reminded her that the back seats were for the older girls and told her she needed to move closer to the front. My baby looked them squarely in the eye and told them she planned to stay put till we arrived at the game. As I called her up front to gently explain what “Rights of Passage” were and that one day, she’ll have earned her place in the back seat, I couldn’t help but be so proud that my daughter stood up for what she believed was right, and even to the tune of a few larger athletic 8th grade girls!
I could continue on but let me get to the point of this blog. About a year and a half ago, my girl decided she wanted to leave college for a bit and do something with missions, just to possibly help her focus her education when she returned. By the way, she knew she wanted to do mission-type work since our family went to Pakistan for 2 months after moving to Wyoming. She wasn’t sure what she was doing in college and felt like a trip would help her really focus when she returned.
Upon hearing about this 11-month worldwide trip called the World Race, she decided that’s what she wanted to do, and no one other than God Himself was going to stand in her way. She even started fundraising before she put an application in and was accepted! But again, that’s how Smooch does life. All in. For example, out of the 3 routes she could have taken, she opted for the most culturally diverse, and furthest from the norm as possible!
As I watched her raise money, I can honestly say she inspired me. She worked so hard, and did things she’s never done, to make sure she was ready the day she stepped onto that plane headed around the world. She got a job at an outdoor/sports store just so she could get good deals on all the gear she needed. She also decided that since she had run a couple 5K races before, why not host one herself and make a little money to go toward her trip. She sold stuff, and worked diligently non-stop, and did eventually raise more than $18,000 before she left for Belize.
As she was still home, and working hard, I had a friend ask me if I was concerned or even scared of where my baby girl was going or what she’d face while traveling the world to share the gospel of Christ to those she encountered. I could honestly answer him with an emphatic “No”. Why you may ask. Well, because there are only a few things that I am dead certain of in this world. One is that my daughter is a daughter of the King, and He doesn’t take lightly to those intending harm on His children. And another… I know Brooklynn Graybill! And I feel kinda sorry for anyone standing in her way to do what she sets out to do!
I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of both of my children. They each seek to honor Christ in all that they do, and for that, I am eternally grateful to God for drawing them to Himself. And as Brooklynn continues this adventure of a lifetime, I can’t imagine what her life will look like after this trip comes to an end. But I can tell you this…it is only the beginning for Schmoops! I just pray we all can keep up with her as she runs the race she’s called to by her Creator, God. And maybe, just maybe, her old man can run alongside her for a lap or two.
