Missy Allen

Happy Birthday, Ellen!
We had just moved to Arlington and I was going back to work. I only had one glitch. I needed someone to take care of my twins for 1 hour and take them to school everyday. As I inquired around town, the name Ellen Zedler kept coming up. I finally decided to call her. My first words to her were "Hi, you don't know me, but I think the Lord wants you to take care of my twins everyday." Ha! I bet that was quite a shock. What began that day grew to be a bond so strong with my kids that one night as I was putting Andrew to sleep he said, "Mom, when you die can I go live with the Zedlers?"

Ellen is a terrific lady. I asked my kids what their memories of her entailed. Abigail says she remembers the Christmas Eve parties where the kids got to dress up and re-enact the Christmas story. Andrew's memories were different. Apparently Ellen taught him the joy of dipping french fries into milkshakes...a delight that he still enjoys to this day! In addition, Andrew remembered the automatic windows on the suburban. That memory made me laugh because I can't remember NOT having automatic windows, but apparently we did. Those years were tough for me, but seeing Ellen's smiling face and hearing her encouraging words helped me to survive. Her friendship blossomed as she and Bill became involved in the Crisis Pregnancy Center with me. When my family moved to Bedford, we didn't talk as often and I miss that. But one thing I know for sure, her heart print is on the lives of Andrew, Abigial and Missy Allen.

Happy birthday, Ellen. The Lord has used you greatly to be a source of joy and encouragement to others. We thank him for the years that we were blessed by seeing you everyday. Thank you for your love for me and more importantly, my children.

You are the BEST, Ellen Zedler and I love you.

Love,
Missy