Joy comes in the morning

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. It is a blessing to have a great Mom. It is a blessing to be surrounded by friends and family that are also great examples of motherhood.

It is time to celebrate the gift of life and the joy of being a mother.

But this weekend, I have a heavy heart. I've felt it for the past couple of days.

I'm thinking of one Mother in particular that won't wake to her little 21-month old's giggles. She won't hear her husband tell her child to kiss Mommy because it's Mother's Day. Instead, she will feel that deep twinge that she's felt so often in the past year and a half since she lost him.

My nephew is with Jesus. His Momma, my sister, has empty arms this Mother's Day. And it's hard to rejoice in your own blessings when another has had hers ripped away.

Thankfully, there is another life on the way. She just started feeling her baby moving. This little one, her third pregnancy, will fill part of the void in her heart. She will have a baby in her arms next Mother's Day. She's told me that the loss that turned her world upside down has made this experience all the sweeter. It has given her a greater joy than she's ever known.

"Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5

Joy is on its way. We weep. We mourn. We question God's sovereignty. But joy is on its way.

My heart aches for my sister. For every woman that has felt the joy of motherhood and then found themselves at a small grave.

Weeping is okay.

But may you find JOY unspeakable in unlikely places this Mother's Day.

Widdlytinks

Just a quick note...

If you noticed my little Widdlytinks at the bottom of this page,

YES I know that the man in the pic does a very poor job representing Greg. Greg is 6'3", and this man appears to be 5'1"...

My options were limited, okay?

And the results are in...

Finally, all five of my kids have had recent physicals. We avoid going to the doctor unless absolutely necessary. (I could elaborate on that...but I'll save that for another time...)

However, Monday we completed their most recent physical exams. We are blessed to have boring doctor's appointments. Thankfully, our kids are healthy.

And tall...

Emily is in the 97th percentile for height, and 80th for weight.

Kaleb is in the 77th percentile for height, 73rd for weight.

Avery is in the 96th percentile for height, 92nd for weight.

Levi is in the 75th percentile for height, 40th for weight.

Nadia is in the 90th percentile for height, 43rd for weight.

Somehow, my two babies are skinny...despite the fact that they can get their grub on.

All of my friends know that my kids can clear a banquet table...

...Can you imagine my groceries in a few years???

What I wish...

My sis is with child.

It's fantastic. If you know nothing about what she's been through, you have to read up on it.

So far, she's had one early sonogram. Enough to know that, thankfully, this baby looks healthy. A healthy, worry-free pregnancy is a new experience for her.

I have three wishes for this pregnancy:

1.) That she will enjoy it without fear or anxiety and that the baby will be healthy. (Does that count as two wishes?)

2.) That I will BE THERE for the baby's delivery! (We're planning that I will be, but it's so hard to plan on being there when you are 9 hours away!)

3.) That she will have an easy delivery, and get the VBAC that she longs for. (Okay, that may be two wishes as well...)

I want her to experience birth like I did with Levi, #4. He was my first all natural birth. By the time I got to him, I had three pitocin-induced, epidural-necessitated births. I didn't know if I would ever really be able to birth naturally.

But I did. It was amazing. Here's me, within 30 minutes of his actual birth, during one of the more intense contractions...

(don't worry...it's not scary...and it's clean...)

Yep, that's almost as bad as it got.

And that's exactly what I want for her...