Around here, our family celebrations usually happen in the evening, but this morning was different.
WE WOKE THE KIDS UP EXTRA EARLY and there were no complaints. We have been anticipating this morning for what seems like "forever"...
Our lives are full of milestones. They define our life. They are used to calculate different seasons in our lives. They can be memories or dreams...events that we look back on or occasions we have to look forward to.
Several months ago, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer. My first instinct was to question God as to what He might be thinking...
Having the opportunity to have met my mother-in-law at such a young age has been a gift in and of itself. From the first evening we met, she has accepted me for who I am, she has encouraged me, and has loved me as though I were her very own flesh and blood...a daughter she never had.
She raised the love of my life. She taught him the importance of loving others unselfishly, to be the strong one when others are weak, to look at life with anticipation...knowing that even when things are rough...they will get better AND how to pick up his shoes...Thank you so VERY much!!! (We all know your secret tactic!)
She has been the Nana of all Nanas to my children. She rocked the "colicky one" with a fierce determination that she would be the one to soothe her no matter what it took...(Brandy?) She was thrilled to be in on many "firsts" and to accommodate them to make those monumental occasions special. Have you ever seen a child bundled up on a sled with a warm bottle of milk? Finding the Best gifts that tired parents just don't have the energy to hunt down especially when a two year old really needs a tool belt because he is convinced that he truly is a "working man" just like his Poppi! The list goes on and on. I am pretty sure there have been plenty of confidential exchanges between the three of them that I do not know about, nor do I really dare to find out.
...During these months of radiation, we have committed Nana to prayer. We have witnessed the Lord's peace in her life and a joy that is deep in her soul. It has been a testament in trusting God's grace and mercy. It has been a lesson in letting go with abandon and putting our hope in God...since He is in control anyway. We have sensed God's very presence through our tears and concerns.
...So as Nana was on her way to her last radiation appointment this morning, she stopped by our house. It felt a bit like Christmas morning for our whole family. The kids were excited to see their Nana. The lights were dim and it was a bit misty outside. She was glowing with her pink shirt on under her black vest. Christmas morning is not complete without a gift. So her son had the honor to do our little presentation...a card with our thoughts and a necklace with the word "SURVIVOR" hammered into the silver pennant. As I think about the inscription, I think about God as our rescuer, desperately stretching out His hand to those who have no hope without Him, no chance of survival unless they reach out and grasp the very hand that formed the universe, a hand that is fully capable of saving...a rescuer that is not only concerned with the very act of saving, but a Rescuer who offers comfort and healing..."For with God NOTHING will be impossible." Luke 1:37
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