Caught, Let Go, Mid-way

I decided to take advantage of these few quiet, pre-dawn moments to focus on my gifts challenge. Sitting here, it's amazing how different the world seems before the television comes on, emails are read and the vehicle starts up. I sit here, smiling at the sleepy, rhythmic sounds of my daughter's slumber. It breaks my heart to know that in just a few short moments I'll have to wake her from her sleep to start the day. However, what joy it is to see her squinty little eyes as they adjust to the lamp light. What a delight to see her recognize "Mommy" and smile that silly, toothless grin. A treasure.

Today's gifts center around a gift caught, a gift let go and a gift mid-way. Again, I had to think upon these things. Nothing came instantly but as I honed in on each word, I slowly began to add to my list.

-Caught: By the grace of God I have managed to "catch" His blessings over, what will be this month, 5 years of marriage. He has graced our family and shown mercy, especially during our earlier years when joining lives through old habits and mixed opinions was not always easy. He has given provision in abundance and has shown that with Him as our center, our marriage will be not only blessed, but enjoyed, even in the most difficult of times.

-Let Go: This month, the day before our anniversary in fact, will mark the one year anniversary of the passing of my grandpa. He died just a few short months after my father last year. It was a bittersweet end. He was tired and ready to be with Jesus, but we as earth-dwellers had such a hard time wanting to let him go. In the end, he was at peace and the joy of the Lord was in him. He longed for all of us to make peace with his passing and to know that he'd be waiting for us in Heaven. While tears still come with the occasional trip down memory lane and sadness fills my heart when I think of the fact that G will never get to meet her great-grandpa on this side of Heaven, I rejoice in knowing just how happy the thought of her arrival made him.

-Mid-way: This was the gift that came easiest to mind. Our friends have been praying and raising funds for an adoption. It was made clear that this was the route in which He had chosen to fill their home with children. After all of the blood work, negative pregnancy tests, and tear ridden prayers, they came to the understanding that God's will was different than what they had organically planned. In March, this couple raised the $25000 some odd dollars for their adoption. What seemed like moments after this victory, she found out she was pregnant!!! This child has been prayed for. This child is already so loved! While this couple will continue with their hope of adopting, it will now have to wait until their soon-to-be-here daughter is a year old. This little girl will be here in December...so while she is a little over "mid-way" here, I find this (as I do all babies from the moment of conception) to be an amazing gift.

What are your gifts for today?

"His secret purpose framed from the very beginning [is] to bring us to our full glory (1 Cor. 2:7). He means to rename us---to bring us to our true names, our truest selves. He means to heal our soul holes. He means to fill us with glory again. With glory and grace."

excerpt from One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voscamp (p. 17)