Blessed...by you

Thank you so much for your well wishes and prayers. I was thinking this afternoon of how much you all have blessed my life. Thank you so much for your friendship and notes of encouragement.

As you all probably guessed, the last month has been a little crazy. Some of it I've already mentioned here, such as my daughter's eye injury. Thankfully she has had complete healing. The last time we visited the eye doctor, her vision was 20/20 - in both eyes! We are so thankful. And I was glad to hear that we didn't need to visit the eye doctor again for a month. I was a little weary of the trip - and the city traffic! There is a possibility that the scar tissue on her eye could some day distort her vision and cause her to need glasses in the future but we are thanking the Lord that it wasn't any worse.

And yes, you all guessed correctly that we are anticipating another baby to join our family. Our children think that January is much too long to wait! This pregnancy is a much anticipated answer to prayer - though I feel a little guilty being so happy - when I know that so many of you would love to have even one child. My relatively short brush with infertility has given me a tender heart toward all of you who look at the expectant bloom of motherhood with your own empty arms. If I could, I wrap all of you in a big hug and cry with you. I'm crying just typing this. I pray that the Lord will give you a special comfort today.

The month of June held several reminders of the preciousness of life and the hope found in Jesus' resurrection power. Our church family experienced three funerals within two weeks. Two were elderly ladies who had run the race of life well and were ready to leave the suffering of their frail bodies to experience the joys of God's presence.

But the other was a tiny baby, only 5 oz., a stillborn who had never experienced any of the joys or sorrows of this world. I stood at her graveside, looking at her tiny little hand prints, my heart breaking for the grief of her parents, and all the other parents who have mourned the fleeting life of their babies. I thought of how God says He knows us by name even when we are being formed in the womb (Is 49:1) and I know that not only can He carry us through our grief, He can care for our babies also. But oh how we ache for the loss of dreams and memories.

So between camping, family trips, picnics, and funerals, with fatigue sapping my energy and stealing my brain cells, I haven't felt much like writing recently. I am thankful I have felt well (I don't know what morning sickness is) but many days I am bone weary. I am hoping for a second wind in the second trimester but I remember how busy, and tiring, summer can be.

Thanks again for your love and concern for our family.