A World with Octobers.

I drove down the road yesterday coming home from a babysitting job, old Taylor Swift blasting through my speakers, the windows down and the breeze in my hair.

The leaves are changing colors. Bright reds and oranges. Soon they'll fall and create mounds of crinkly leaves on the ground.

There's something about this change of seasons that I've grown to love.

I used to absolutely love summer. I loved the warm weather, shorts and flip flops, the beach and the fact that we had over two full months without school. I still do.

But there's something about fall and spring that have become my favorite.

Because when I watch the leaves grow in the spring, bright green with blossoms and blooms, my heart is full and the Lord says, "That's what I've done in you. I've given you new life."

And in the fall when the leaves turn colors and begin to fall he says, "Look, it's your past. All of those things you regret...they can be forgotten. You are forgiven. Wait a little bit longer, you'll start to feel that new life again."

I sit here typing these words and I can only think...

Without Octobers we would miss the colors of the leaves. We would miss bonfires and s'mores and the smell that the smoke from the fire leaves on our clothes. 

We would miss pumpkins and cool fall days just before the weather turns cold. We would miss days spent in our favorite cozy sweatshirt with a good book. 

We would miss so many things. 

So today there's not a whole lot on my mind. But I'm making sure I take the time to thank God for this October. Because there won't be another one just like it. 

He is daily reminding me that those broken pieces of my past are still healing. That all of my sin has been washed clean. 

He reminds me that His love for me is unconditional, unfathomable. 

And every time I see those bright red and orange leaves He says, "I created this. I created the billions of stars. I created the vast fields and the birds and animals. And I said, 'It is good.' But then I created you! And you were very good. I will hold you and take care of you. Your future is in my hand, daughter. You are precious to me. Just like the colors of those leaves, you are unlike any other."

I breathe deeply and let the cool air fill my lungs, grateful for this day He's given me. Grateful that I am made in His imagine and for His plan. 

And I'm especially grateful He's given us Octobers.

~Bailey 

On Goodbyes

**This is one of those mornings where I'm supposed to be doing school but my Bible study this morning applied SO directly to my life I just need to write about it. So here we go.**

Goodbyes.

Even if they're just temporary, there's something about them that pulls at your heartstrings until you feel as if there's nothing left. The tears rise and you feel that familiar burning in your throat growing as you dab at your eyes, trying to keep mascara from smearing.

I've had a lot of these in the past two years, more than I would like to remember.

The hardest goodbyes are the ones where you don't get to say goodbye- where the person leaves before you get a chance to wish them well, before you get to tell them how much you really did love them, how much you still love them.

Then there are the kind that are face to face. You embrace and cry and get to tell the person how much you love them, you wish them well and watch them load into the car. And then they drive off. You know it's harder for them than it is for you when a piece of your heart has just gone to live somewhere else.

Weeks crawl by and you wonder where they have gone and when they will be back, if they'll be back at all.

I can remember when my Paige died. My father held me and I cried, "I didn't get to say goodbye." Later in the day, I hugged a middle schooler at church and she said, "I just wish I could have said goodbye."

When my *adopted* big sister and brother-in-law moved to California last October, we stood on the front porch of the house they were staying in. Their eleven month old daughter was confused as could be about why everyone around her was crying, but we all knew. East coast to west coast is a long way away and Christmas didn't seem very close at all.

Just over a month ago, one of my dearest friends was leaving for college. Over the last six months we've become closer than ever and I dreaded the day when she would make the two hour drive and move into her dorm room at Gardner Webb University. We stood in the youth area after everyone else had left. Normally we are extremely sarcastic around each other but not that night. We wrapped our arms around each other, each of us about to lose it and said, "I love you, friend."

And in just a couple of days, I'll say another goodbye to two people who have become increasingly important in my life within the past year and a half. They are moving to Brazil to be missionaries and I couldn't be more excited to see what the Lord is going to do through them there. Trent has taken me in as his little sister, offering me more advice, love and encouragement than I ever deserved. Sydney has been faithful to text me when I'm having hard weeks and pray for me when I need it. I don't know how I'm going to make it without them around.

In my Bible study this morning, one statement stuck out to me. When I read it, I didn't think of it in context of the passage we were looking at. But in the context of goodbyes.

"Closeness carries risk."

Closeness carries the risk of telling the painful truth.

Closeness carries the risk of losing that person and the pain being unbearable.

Closeness carries the risk of long distance relationships, FaceTiming and Skyping.

Closeness carries the risk of goodbyes. 

And as hard as goodbyes might be...I wouldn't trade these relationships for anything.

I wouldn't trade the memories, the letters, the hugs, the encouraging texts and words...

I wouldn't trade it just because goodbyes hurt.

After all- closeness carries risk. We know going into a relationship that things could go wrong. But we also know that at some point, we'll have to say goodbye in one way or another.

As much as this hurts, we must remember- I must remember- that Christ calls us as the church to "admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone." (1 Thes. 5:14-15)

Even if it means a more painful goodbye in the end, let's make relationships, let's encourage one another, let's not take for granted one moment we have together...

Because it's all beautiful. It's all so beautiful. And it's all part of His plan, every single moment.

"And the only way to ever leave beauty marks on the world is with bits of yourself — and this will hurt. Things of realest beauty don’t bring us glory — but Him glory." {Ann Voskamp, A Holy Experience}

~Bailey

Giveaway!!

I'm super pumped, friends!

It's time to have my very first blog/facebook GIVEAWAY!!!

Before I show you what you might be winning, let's go over the entry rules:

1. You must Tweet/Facebook/Instagram about For I Know the Plans, using the hashtag: #ForIKnowthePlansbook with a link back to my blog. Yes, I'm aware it's the longest hashtag EVER. Also, please tag me in your posts! I'm on all three of the social media sites listed above. (FB: Bailey Bowers, Twitter: BaileyBowers15, Instagram: baileyelizabeth_b) This way I can make sure you posted.

Once you've posted about it, comment back on this post and let me know that you did so! Each post will count for one entry. Example: if you posted on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter you would get THREE entries!

2. If you've already read For I Know the Plans, you can get TWO more entries! You can go to amazon.com, search "For I Know the Plans" and write a review! Once you comment on this post saying you wrote a review, I will enter your name TWO more times since a review takes a little extra time and thought.

Oh, and you must live in the United States to enter this giveaway.

NOW! Here's what I'll be giving away.

Two people will win this super cute Sole Hope water bottle and a Light Gives Heat necklace (made in Uganda)!

(Here's my favorite one!) One person will win an autographed copy of For I Know the Plans AND a Light Gives Heat necklace!!

I know, super fun, right?

The winners will be announced NEXT FRIDAY, September 5th! This gives you plenty of time to enter.

Thank you ahead of time for helping spread the word about For I Know the Plans! If you live in this area, be on the lookout for an article in the High Point Enterprise about my journey to writing this book. It will be out Sunday or Monday. THAT is also very exciting.

~Bailey

Always Worth It.

Today is story time. This is not about my book. This is not about writing. This is a story of what God is doing and I had to share it in it's entirety.

Travel back with me eleven years ago. 

In the forefront of our story is a six year old girl with thin blonde hair and brown eyes, always tall for her age. She sat at basketball practice as the coach shared the story of salvation. This six year old's mind was churning knowing that she needed this Jesus in her life. When she got home, she went to her parents and told them what happened at basketball practice. That night that six year old little girl prayed to ask the Lord to be her Savior, to forgive her of her sins and to walk with her the rest of her life. 

Let's fast-forward two years. Around the age of eight, this little girl met a thirteen year old who was in her mom's Sunday School class. Her mom had taught a lot of Sunday School classes and she had met a lot of youth students. But this young girl, this wide-open, crazy about Jesus girl...she was different. 

You see, this thirteen year old made the little girl feel special. She made her feel loved. She showed this incredible love she knew from Jesus to the children around her. And this little blonde girl felt it, too. 

This eight year old and this thirteen year old grew older. As they grew older, they grew closer. Each year their relationship strengthened until the little girl, now thirteen years old considered this high school graduate one of her best friends. 

When she went off to college, this little blonde girl was broken hearted. But the friendship wasn't broken up by college. No, it was only strengthened and shared by two girls now entering a completely new and different phase of life. 

Every week or so, this little blonde girl would receive a letter in the mail from her friend off at school. Letters containing updates on classes and new friends being made. And they were precious to her, no one else was allowed to read them. She would write back telling her college aged friend all about life back at home- how the family was and how her little sister from Rwanda was growing up so quickly. 

Each summer they spent many days together, celebrating the small and big things, like finishing driver's ed and VBS and SWTA. 

That is until this little girl's college age friend passed away. At twenty years old, she had made such a big impact on this almost fifteen year old. No, she would not be forgotten. Her faith and her life would make an impact on all of those she knew- including this fifteen year old. 

About this time, this blonde headed fifteen year old met a seven year old little girl. Her name was Haley and she had brown hair and freckles. This fifteen year old loved this seven year old and she immediately knew: this is my chance. This is my chance to love someone like she loved me. 

So she did. This fifteen year old and this seven year old also grew older. As they grew older they grew closer. When our main character turned sixteen and got her license, she took Haley out for her birthday and made her feel special...hopefully like her dearest friend had done for her. 

When she went away to the beach for a couple of weeks, she wrote to Haley and asked her how things were at home, just like her friend had done for her. She told her to be the young lady God had created her to be, just like her friend had done for her. She told her to chase God with all of her heart and not miss the incredible opportunities He had for her, just like her friend had done for her. 

And when Haley came running up to me before Sunday School today, telling me she had gone forward in church to let everyone know she had the Lord as her Savior and she wanted to be baptized...my eyes filled with tears and my heart soared. 

Because I was able to love my Haley like Paige loved me. I was able to encourage her and hug her and tell her how incredibly proud I was of her just like Paige had done for me. 

All because at six years old I trusted in the Lord as my Savior. Because some things only happen when Christ is in the lead. And today I realized that Paige and Haley and the relationships with so many other children at church only take place because of Him and my reconciled relationship to Him. 

Oh how thankful I am for the love that He shows each of us...this love that I am also able to show my Haley and my Sonia and all of my other kids at church. 

Today I was overwhelmed with gratefulness to be able to love for Him and because of Him. I was grateful for the joy on Haley's face when she told me about her decision. I was grateful for the way Sonia loves to tell me about her day and her friends in Sunday School. I was grateful for every bit of it. 

Most of all I was grateful for His love for me, each and every day that enables me to love others even when it seems impossible. 

So love those around you with the biggest love you can imagine. Today I saw that it is always worth it.

~Bailey (that blonde haired six year old.)

P.S. My sweet Haley, I am SO very proud of you and the beautiful young lady the Lord is shaping you to be. Keep pursuing Him and loving Him all of the days of your life. I love you so, so, SO much. Thanks for being my friend. I can't wait for all of the memories we will continue to make. Have I mentioned I'm proud of you?