Fifty-Five.

Fifty-five years ago today, a young Air Force wife gave birth to a brand new human being named Steven Kever Smith.

Here is  the very cute Sir Smith on very first birthday.   Since then, he’s had 54 more.

To help celebrate Number-Fifty, I sent out a request to Steve’s parents, Sarah, Nathan and Meagan, asking if they would send me either a favorite memory of Steve, or else things they admire or appreciate about him. My goal was to reach fifty-five things. And we did it.

So let’s get this party started!

From Becky 

1.  I appreciate that your antennae is always up to search out people who don’t quite fit in or feel comfortable; you always make a point of talking to them and making them feel valued.

2. No matter what job is confronting you (replacing burners in a grill, re-wiring a lighting fixture, fixing a toilet, installing a garage door opener, replacing a difficult part in the car) I can always count on you to say, “Well, how hard can it be?” And 99% of the time, you get the job done. Your handyman skills never cease to amaze me.

3. I love the fact that no matter what the numbers on my scale or the size tag of my jeans say, you always tell me that I am beautiful.

4. I like your strong hands.

5. You’re a funky bass player and look really cute when you play.

6. You have the ability to make anyone, anywhere, from any background, talk about themselves. You usually find their “conversation button” within the first 5-10 minutes because you are genuinely interested in people.

7. You are curious about everything and love to learn.

8. Even though you have embarrassed me (once or twice) out in public with your sanguine gregariousness, I am thankful that I married someone who keeps me from being too stodgy or stuffy.

9. You love our children well. I have seen you listen to them, pray with them, play with them, affirm them, guide them, correct them, and make them laugh. Bottom line is that they know beyond any doubt that they are loved by their dad.

10. You make the bed (whenever you get up after me) and you vacuum the house. BIG points scored there!

11. You loved me well through the cancer journey and looked at my changed body through eyes of love.  I’ll always remember this note waiting for me on the breakfast table shortly after my surgery when I was really down on myself.

12. You take care of yourself, eat healthy, dress well, look good, and smell good!

13. You always, always, always tell me that you’re proud of me and that you believe in me and in my gifts.

14. You love words and books. I could NEVER have married a man who had no interest in the Latin derivative of a word.

15.   You make me laugh.  (Very, very heartily.)

16.   You’re an excellent communicator.

17.   I love you because we make beautiful music–and beautiful kids–together.

From Sarah 

I love you because of…

18. Your love for God.

19.  Your love for Mom.

20.  Your love for your family.

21. Your love of words.

22. Your love of music.

23. Your being a man’s man, but know when and how to be tender.

24. Your conviction of the need to make sure the grape juice lid is thoroughly screwed on despite there being no fizz to preserve.

25. Your lack of self-consciousness.

From Nathan

 26. Your randomness (“Shiny!”)

27. Your Biblical wisdom and ability to teach it.

28. Your ability to talk to strangers and make an impact on them even if you never see them again.

29.  Your ability to work with your hands on projects. Examples would be your knowledge of cars or sound equipment, or even music.

30. That you truly love mom and show that every day.

31. I admire your love of words and books.

32. I like that we enjoy the same types of man movies. (eg, Star Wars, Spiderman,  Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes,  Mission Impossible, etc. )

33.  I love the fact that you taught me to ski, but you let me beat you down the hill now.

From Meagan

34. You show love to your family in many different ways.

35. You are random and funny.

36. You are patient and a good teacher.

37. You have a true passion for your ministry and the people you minister to.

38.  You are a hard worker.

39.  You are giving.

40.  You are a good leader.

41. You are a great father-in-law!

From Ken and Vernie
(They opted to share some memories of Steve since they are in the enviable position of having known him the longest and having the most memories.)

42. When Steve was 3 years old and still in his crib, he got a butter knife from the
kitchen drawer.  He loosened the screws on his bed making the railing wobbly.  His first attempt at the great escape!

43.  When Steve was about 7, he and a neighbor boy got hungry while the rest of our family was shopping.  They broke a dozen eggs looking for one that didn’t have a broken yolk and threw them one by one into the garbage.  They were still hungry when we got home.

44. When Steve was in college, he took apart an old Dodge truck and rebuilt it.  The truck was red and he named it “Elmo.”

45. His Grandpa Kiebler said he thought Steve was a smartest little boy he'd ever
known! (Grandpa's always know!)

46.  When he was ten, we lived in Hawaii and he had the lead role in “Cowboy on the Moon,”  a chapel choir play.  He asked (made us promise) we would not attend the production but (of course) we went anyway.  Later, after receiving a standing ovation, he never complained that we had attended (or that we’d told a little fib).

47.    He made a red and white woven hot pad for his Uncle Lloyd and Aunt Gwen which they are still using 45 years later.  (Actually he sold it to them!)

48.  He enjoys history and folklore

49.  He marched in Richard Nixon’s inauguration with the Clovis New Mexico High School marching band

50.   He won the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award as a senior at Clovis High School

51.   He played in a rock band called “The Plaids” while in college at UNCC.

52.  While his dad was on temporary duty in Italy, he and mom lived with her folks on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania.  For Christmas, he got a toy riding  tractor which he rode round and round in the kitchen.

53.  In Hawaii while his mom was driving, we rounded a corner with Steve and his brothers in the back seat of the 4- door Buick.  While the brothers were wresting, one of them accidently hit the door handle and the door flew open.  Steve rescued his brother by grabbing his leg as he was about to exit the moving car.

(Becky’s note:  Hmmmm.  Steve just told this story in a recent sermon and thought it was his DAD who grabbed his brother.  Guess he’s a hero and didn’t know it!)

54.  At age 14, he became an Eagle Scout while in Hawaii.  One merit badge included a 20- mile hike which he and his dad took around the western end of Oahu.

55.   Built model airplanes from an early age and continues to do so.

From this . . .

. . . . to this.

Happy fifty-fifth birthday from everyone who loves you!