Her Bobin

 Beth was only 2 when she was born.

As far as she's concerned she's just always been there. 

Beth is standing on our coffee table! 

 

One day they were teasing each other about Bob the Tomato. From Veggie Tales. Calling each other every version they could think of: Bob, Bobby, Bobin... and it stuck.

Bobin.

Sharaya's had to endure some difficult things growing up with Beth. The school district would move the special ed department from school to school every year and I hated that. To move Beth and her friends around so they had to learn a different school layout every year, new bell schedules... just didn't make sense to me. 

Well for one year all 3 of our girls went to the same elementary school. It was just a few blocks from our house so I'd walk them to school in the morning and they would all walk home together in the afternoon. I guess one day a bunch of kids who lived down the street from us ended up throwing rocks at Beth and a few of the rocks hit Sharaya and Diana as well.

Another time Beth ended up under her desk at school and didn't want to come out. They couldn't get her to tell them what was wrong, she wouldn't move... so they got Sharaya out of her class and had her talk to Beth. I still don't know why a school would do that, instead of calling the parent.

But Sharaya just did it, just took care of Beth when it was needed. She never made a big deal out of it, she just did it. One time, Sharaya would have been about 4 years old, Beth was six - this was before cell phones so I had the video camera out and was recording them as they played in the front yard. The toy Beth was playing with broke and before I knew it Sharaya had put her toy down, went over to Beth, fixed her toy and went back to playing. I stood there just flabbergasted. This 4 year old... already looking out for her bigger sister. This is just the kind of person she is.

Well for more than 20 years they've called each other Bobin. When they see each other Sharaya will say, "Hi Bobin" and Beth will respond, "That's you."

Sharaya grew up, got married, and for a few years she dealt with her husbands addiction, now she's raising a daughter by herself... she's been through a lot and she and Beth don't have a lot in common anymore. Life can be really hard and the solution isn't always as easy as fixing a toy.

But as busy as Sharaya is, she still finds time for Beth. She'll take her to the theater, they sometimes go out to lunch, the movies. Sharaya still makes a point of including Beth. Of finding things that Beth likes to do and doing them with her.

Sharaya's a remarkable woman. The Lord knew exactly what He was doing when He gave her to us. He knew Beth would need a Bobin in her life and He gave us the best!