jessica

from left to right: elizabeth, em, & jessica

it's hard not to lump the three of us smoyer sisters into one big bundle of mercy and mischief: the three amigas, the three musketeers, the three piratesses...YARRRR! (i should mention here that there is a fourth smoyer sister as well, suzy. we're sad because she lives far away.) but this one's for you, jess!

jessica (or jess, jessie, or sicca, depending on whom you're talking to) is the second eldest of the smoyer siblings, after josh and before keith and adam. this, by definition, means that she is a survivor, much stronger than her tiny frame and delicate beauty suggest. she survived three rough-housing brothers, and from what i hear, even managed to subdue them with her sheer force of will sometimes! can we say small but mighty? :o)

jess is mighty of heart as well. she loves people in tangible ways. she and her husband, gus, have opened their home and their lives to be shared by a succession of folks whom god has brought their way. that's right--they have a commune! (did i mention that jess can garden?) when mama d needed a place to stay while recovering from her accident, jess and gus remodeled a room for her in their home, and selflessly took on the role of nurse/companions for many months.

one of the qualities that i love most about jessica is that she strives to be real and open...real in her pursuit of god and his word, real in her struggles, real in her conversations with others, real in whatever circumstance she finds herself. it is always refreshing and challenging to have a one-on-one conversation with jess. and, like jesus, she accepts and loves you for exactly where you are, while still wanting the best for you.

i could really go on & on. just one more thing though...last but not least, she is one SASSY, sexy mama! and she can DANCE... i'm talking belly dancing here, people! if you ever need to get your party on, jess is a sure bet for hilarious good times. whew...she makes me laugh.

i couldn't love you any more if you were my own flesh & blood, jess.