BETH ANN

Daryl had one sister growing up, Elizabeth Ann. She was 5 years older and beautiful in every aspect of the word. She was also Down syndrome and one of the most precious people I had ever met. Everyone called her Beth Ann.

She was gentle, kind and full of laughter. I can hardly remember her in any mood except happy. She loved life and everyone in it. Never was an unkind word found on her tongue. She didn’t know a stranger nor an enemy, everyone that had ever met her loved her instantly. She had a very charismatic personality.

She loved to sing alto. She didn’t know her numbers and couldn’t read, but if you gave her the name of any song in the songbook she could find it and sing it word for word, all 3 verses. When we would go to visit her, she would sit by me at church and say, “I sitten by you. We sing ‘halto’ (alto) together,” and we did!

Beth Ann also loved to sit on the porch swing. She would start swinging and in minutes get the swing up to light speed. While swinging, she would laugh loudly and talk with her friends, except there wasn’t anyone there except her. If you listened, it always sounded like there was a handful of children on the porch or swing with her.

Beth Ann also loved food, any food. After filling her plate she would start with one of the foods and eat it until it was all gone. She would never touch any of the other foods until that particular thing was gone. After each meal she would announce “You are a hod (hard) cooker” and then place a big kiss on your cheek.

She loved movies, records, The Partridge Family, makeup and songbooks. She would sneak around the house gathering up other’s movies, records, songbooks, makeup and stash them in her room.

She had a pretend daughter and husband. She also had a bad habit of pretending to smoke. I think she missed the information that ‘smoking kills.” She would discipline her daughter and kiss her husband. Her imagination never ran out. Once when my girls were little they asked, “Where do you get a little girl like Beth Ann? We want one when we grow up.” I informed them that God only gave little children like Beth Ann to special people and if you wanted someone special like Beth Ann you would have to ask God about it.

Beth Ann went to heaven in October 2005 after a lengthy illness. Heaven was a brighter place with her presences, earth a little dimmer. We all cried, but our tears were soon replaced with the fact that she was with God. She had fought the good fight and won.

I know she is in heaven right now singing ‘halto’ (alto) at the top of her voice, swinging barefoot while touching the treetops with the tips of her toes, laughing, laughing, laughing and enjoying every aspect of the Lord.

Matthew 18:3-6
And He said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes Me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Mark 10:14
He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."