Sometimes you do something right, even when you didn’t know that you were . . .

Take December 1978, for example. I did something, or better, I participated in something, that I had no clue would turn out the way it did. What is so interesting is that a little child in Africa who wasn’t even born until 1998 would be one of the recipients of what I did in 1978.

Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?

In August of 1979 my eldest offspring came into this world. Two weeks late (she was shy), half grown (11+ pounds) and madder than a wet hornet. She’d caused her mother all grades of trouble for months. She would kick so hard while still in the oven that she almost knocked me out of bed one night. Precocious, inquisitive, absolutely the owner of her own nose (a Brasilian term for “her own boss”) , my daughter, besides being my firstborn, ruled like the princess of the king.

Living in Brasil, she had a “baba” (a nanny) who thought she hung the moon in the sky. So little Tabitha got away with murder because her baba would cover up her crimes for her. I think that must have formed some wrinkles in her little brain that made her think she could do anything, and get away with it!

She once fell off the roof directly on her head. Dented the concrete sidewalk. Scared her father to death.

She used to say that she was going to go live in the Amazon jungle with the indians, and meant it (I did threaten to send her there on several occasions since this “desire” of hers occurred during her teenage years).

She went to Brasil as an exchange student during her senior year of high school and ended up getting married. All by herself.

She grew up, had kids, created a life and family. Then she got God on the brain . . .

She “heard the voice.” Maybe you know it, even have heard it. Perhaps you’ve at least heard of it or know others who have. She heard it . . . and she didn’t really care for it. Funny how that works. Most folk who hear it tend to find it rather disconcerting, not something they really want to hear. It almost always tells you to do what you don’t want to do. He knows. So do we. So did she.

He wanted her to adopt children in Africa. In Africa, for heaven sakes! She already owned two and the warranties had long expired. Why would she want any more, much less two more? Yep! Two.

She fought it. She agonized over it. She prayed about it. She sought counsel. Many said she was crazy (and she thought she was, too). Everything said it couldn’t happen. So what did God do? He told her to adopt a third one!

Yeah, I thought the same thing — glue. She’d been sniffing glue. That was the only possible explanation. You see, two would cost $15,000+. A third would add another unsurmoutable sum on top of that. So, glue was the only way to explain it.

Ever fallen down? Ever been walking with your eyes closed and tripped over something and fallen? Ok, have you ever fallen up? Well Tabitha did.

Everyone said she couldn’t — she fell. She didn’t know how — her eyes were closed. But God stepped in. She has one, two more are on the way. She fell up.

It’s not over yet. A family of 7 is nothing to sneeze at. But she’s still falling up . . . and now her eyes are open.

Maybe I’d better be checking my passport — she might be headed for the jungles of the Amazon!