It was a fun day for deliveries at our house today. Two separate packages arrived that completed
some sets I have been building for the last five years. One was a set of canvas photographs. When we were expecting (a) we took a picture
of just our feet with a pair of baby cowboy boots between ours. We repeated the same pose with our family
when I was expecting (b) and one more time with (lk). I had waited all these years to print them
because I wanted to have a complete set and make sure I printed them as the
same size and format. The second package
to arrive was a special figurine. While
I am typically NOT a collector of “things,” for several years I have been
growing a collection of Willow Tree figures from many different occasions. By far my most special of these pieces though
are the ones (A) has added for me with each child. Today my set arrived depicting all 5 of us
together as a family.
 |
| Original professional photos by Tammy Williams Photography, Emily Curtis, and La Di Da Photography LLC. All three are fantastic and I would totally recommend them- the changes just happened because of our move and their availability because of that. |
The last three weeks as a new family of 5 have been crazy,
stressful, exhausting, and hard, BUT they have also been a lot of fun, have
filled my heart with joy, and stretched my capacity to love. For the first time, I look at our family and
my heart feels complete. It COULD be the
fact that all our bedrooms are full, all the seats in our vehicles are
occupied, and my washer and dryer never have a break, but I really don’t think
that is the real reason. I truly believe
it is because these are the precious littles that God was calling us to
raise. We weren’t done after the first
because he was created to be an amazing big brother to his siblings. We weren’t done after the second because he
needed the opportunity to show us what a heart he had for being a helper (not
to mention his deep desire to be the comedian of our crew). While our third hasn’t yet had a chance to
show her personality, we know God has big plans for her life as well- and we
know that we were called to raise these three blessings to love and serve the
Lord. My heart feels an overwhelming
amount of peace and joy as it now feels whole and complete.
For me, there is always a sense of bittersweet that comes
when I know something is complete. When
I graduated high school, I was excited for the future, but there was a small sense
of sadness for what was over. When I
graduated college, I was thrilled to be looking toward marriage and a teaching
career, but there was some sadness at parting ways with incredible friends and
leaving a campus I loved. When the chapter
of our lives in Indiana closed, we were excited about the future of a new
ministry and new friends to be made, but there was also a lot of sadness about
leaving many things and people we loved.
My heart has felt a little of the same way the last few weeks. I am so thankful for this family God has
given us and I feel so blessed for the opportunity to raise them, but there is
a twinge of sadness to experience all the “firsts” for the last time, to pack
up my maternity clothes to pass them on, and to know my days of enjoying
pregnancy are over. Complete comes with
both a huge sense of accomplishment, peace, and joy, but also all the questions
about the unknown future.
While I don’t know what the future looks like, what joys and
heartbreaks parenthood holds for us, I am thankful to know the One who does
know. And I am thankful that He holds
that future in the palm of His hands.
While our family may be complete, He has not completed His work with
me. In three particular ways it has just
begun…
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good
work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians
1:6
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