A Jump Start

First, Merry Christmas! I hope you are well and able to breathe and take in the true essentials (faith, family, friends) of the season... Me? I'm sitting down now to do something that I've been meaning to do for some time... Begin a blog. I won't call it a New Year's resolution -- too much pressure... Before beginning I was considering my motivations, lamenting my lack of discipline in keeping up with such things, and wondering when I would have the time to devote to recording thoughts and the general "show and tells" of life... However, I've just decided that it is a good thing to do so that I can indeed keep friends and family up to date - if they choose to check it from time to time- and generally have an outlet for the simple musings I find myself wishing to express... I've never been consistant in my efforts to journal on paper so if this turns out to be a "semi-regular" endeavor just for myself, well then, I'm giving myself grace, and hope others will too... Then there's the fear that I will have nothing of consequence to say. But how can that possibly happen when I have a nine month old who is learning and growing and showing me every second what a miracle life truly is?

Today Sarah learned how she can move her fingers back and forth to her palm in a "hand wave" rather than the "whole arm" wave... She points to the Gerber baby on the jar of chicken (or whatever) she's eating, then points to the picture of her baby cousin Hannah on the fridge and "waves" with both hands... Then she watches what she's doing -- kind of like the more technically named "hand regard" the baby books speak of when babies are like 2 months old and first "discover" their hands. A simple action, but she is definitely looking at her hands and fingers in a whole new light... She's "getting" that her actions have meaning, consequence, and most of all -- that SHE is in control of them!

Of course, I am finding that I too look at life a whole new way when I am with her... Much like falling in love with Todd - life just becomes more rich and full -- everything having significance - the mere act of feeding Sarah, understanding what a profound impact a parent can have on their child for good or other... All of it making me stop and feel so humble that I have been entrusted with this beautiful part of God's creation... Tears of joy and awe are no strangers to me...

And so I hope you also have the joy and awe that comes with understanding what an amazing life we are given, the incredible opportunity we have to know our Creator, and the simple pleasure of savoring every minute as it is...