GREAT NEWS!!

With the advent of this new year has come a fresh blessing to our extended family, one I’m excited to share with you. Today I became a great-aunt for the first time (hope there are many more to come!) and I couldn’t possibly be prouder! How such a tiny little guy could burst upon the scene of my life and change things in an instant I would say is beyond my understanding—but I’m already a grandmother and five of those little ones have done this trick to me over the past seven years. So yes, I do have some comprehension of the process involved, just in a slightly different way. And I love it!

Another aspect is seeing my brother become a grandfather. My little brother!! Total awe is the only way to describe that emotion rolling around in my heart. Through thick and thin, in joy and tears, we have come a long ways, brother! Welcome to that incredible club called “grandparenting”. The rewards are priceless and it is heart-warming to know what is in store for you after today. You will never be the same!

And one last thought has come to nestle in my mind as well—the fact that this little guy is going to carry on my maiden name for yet one more generation. This is the one which is overwhelming me today. I’ve had almost nine months to contemplate the coming adventure in the addition to our family, but only now has the full impact of what that means in the long run hit me. I gave up that name of course when I married; but its legacy is important to me and I’m gratified to know it won’t die out with my precious nephew. God has taken him on a long spiritual and emotional journey over the past several years and today is the culmination of all the healing and restoration He performed in this young man’s life, by blessing him with the incredible gift of his amazing wife and handsome son! Thank You, Jesus, for that miracle and for loving them so much!! Your love has multiplied to each of us in such a special way through them and we are deeply grateful.

In case you think I’ve indulged in a shameless outpouring of emotion with this post without a connection to its stated purposes, please be patient. Next week I will relate what God has taught me from this exciting experience as it relates to my calling to write for Him. Rest assured the Lord has woven lessons into the most intricate details of our lives and He longs to reveal those secrets to us if we are willing to look with His eyes!