The world doesn’t simple need what women have. It needs what women are. (Edith Stein, aka St Teresa Benedicta)

“Mrs. Thieme will take you back to school, and the nurse can call your mom, Katie. Hang in there, sweetheart.”

Though I had known her a bit through her brother, Michael, and her mom, this was my first true interaction with Katie Bailey. It was a moment in the 4th grade that she’d certainly rather forget. She’s definitely OVER me discussing it. Clearly, that desire hasn’t been fully expressed for me. Maybe this will finally resolve it, ha?

The short story is that Katie was on a field trip with her grade school classmates at St. Louis de Montfort, and her trip ended when she broke her collarbone playing football with the boys at the park. I was the adult entrusted with the glamorous job of being the “emergency situations” chaperone.

Even at age 9, she was tough, straight-forward, and brave. It was clear she had a serious injury, but there were no tears. She was probably more bummed that she’d likely miss her beloved gymnastics for a while when I handed her the phone and had her call her mom. I broke stated school protocol, of course, because I am not a rules follower. I wanted her to be able to talk to her mom as soon as possible. Plus waiting the 20-30 minutes it would take to get her back to school, explain the situation to the nurse, and then have the call placed was, in my momma heart, too long to wait and would only delay the arrival of one Ange Bailey.

It's a good thing I did too, because the nurse ended up calling the WRONG parent. So, we’ll chalk up my highly suspect behavior to divine intervention for this tiny little blond sweetheart…who is now about to be called “Mrs. Thieme” herself!

Authenticity and faithfulness are typically the qualities that draw me to others. Katie Bailey is both of these, wrapped up in a stunningly beautiful package.

What I love about Katie is that she is very clear on many things. She believes in personal responsibility, hard work, the importance of family and the value of living a life of faith. She likes to laugh, tease and she’s full to the brim with sass. Her energy is infectious and her heart is honest. I just plain like her.

For a living, Katie is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I won’t pretend to understand what all that entails, but I do know that she spends her days serving the autistic population. It’s life-giving work that helps young people with behavioral or developmental needs. She passionately believes in the dignity of all lives in her care. We should all be so amazing!

Honest, vulnerable people who are not afraid to show their strengths alongside their flaws? In my view, these are the folks doing it right. What makes her remarkable is that at age 27, she is already one of those people who understands perfectly that she isn’t, in fact, perfect…and the fact that she isn’t even pretending to be…well it makes her just a giant scoop of awesome sauce!

Thoughtful and kind? Yes, and yes. For instance, a couple of years ago, Katie noticed that the Thieme men made plans to golf on Mother’s Day. I was honestly completely fine with it, but she didn’t want me to spend the day by myself. So, she invited me to mass with her, and then to go candle-making. I was gotten by the selflessness and kindness she showered me with that day. It’s just how she rolls. Sometimes, she shows up being a little “extra” and making cactus shaped churros for a Mexican fiesta I’m throwing, and she always asks how she can help. Last week, she and her mom took me to dinner on my birthday.

My youngest son, Zach, has long considered her the older sister he never had. As he pointed out recently, “she’s been in my life since I was 8.” She balances the perfect amount of razzing with great life advice only a big sis could offer. He’s a 20 year old college boy, so he may not admit it out loud, but he loves her dearly. She’s got my husband, Tom, hopelessly wrapped around his finger by the sheer force of her presence and her beautiful heart.

This is NOT the behavior that the world would have me believe daughter-in-laws are made of. So far, we are 2 for 2 on that, by the way!! I’m overwhelmed by the over the top way God loves us all sometimes.

My son, Nick, has once again done his magic thing with this young woman. So many of our favorite human beings have come into our lives through him. This time, he’s outdone himself.

When I wrote my original “Mad for” series in 2019, I didn’t include her. Nick and Katie 1.0 had ended, and while a big part of me suspected even then that there would be a “2.0” after college, I didn’t want to rub salt. That said, the series was always incomplete without her inclusion. So, it was time to fix it.

Thank you, Katie, for always reminding me how spectacular it is to simply be who you are, and to do so with integrity. Those are things that I find incredibly inspiring.

Katie Bailey. You are a big-hearted woman of grace. You are a badass human who loves the Lord and it shows by the way you are the face of Jesus for others, very definitely including yours truly. You’re already part of the Thieme family.

What do you say we make it official?

Peace Out, friends…

Oh, and PS…If you are looking to support the work of adding positivity to the world today? Consider supporting my "charity of the month". Send $5 or $10 over to the AlwaysEditing.ORG venmo account today (@Always-Editing). This month’s donations will go to Diabetes Wills Way, a local charity that helps families access insulin, pumps and supplies they need for their children. To learn more about them, visit DiabetesWillsWay.com.

+JMJ+