Monday, January 20, 2014

Loving Again



As many of you know, we became grandparents for the first time last week. Our oldest son and his lovely wife had a little girl, Cora Jane. I know I am very biased, but I think she is absolutely beautiful!

All of kinds of thoughts and emotions are running through my head and my heart. Trying to harness or harvest them has been difficult so far. I know, consistent with the comments of many, I have entered into a new phase of life some call the "best" and the "happiest."

The birth of a child is simply amazing, and the love that surrounds the birth is hard to describe. I think the feeling that has risen to the top, amongst all of the others, is the feeling of being blessed, specifically blessed by God with a loving family.

We tried to embrace God’s love, seen in Jesus, as we raised our four children. We failed a lot, but God is good and full of grace. He blessed us over and over again, based more on who he is and less on what we did. Additionally, we have had a wonderful "village," comprising church, friends, and extended family, who have helped raise and bless our children. Now it begins again.

Having a chance to love a baby again, at an older age and at a different time in life, is probably the essence of that "best" and "happiest" thing. Wisdom that comes from age and experience can be brought to the new relationship with a new life. My desire, more than ever, is to love as God loves.

To say I am thankful is very inadequate, but I know God listens to my heart more than my words. He understands my love for a new child more than I do, because he feels that way about all of us.

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