The Lord Gives and Takes Away...

....Blessed be the name of the LORD!

The LORD Gives:

It has been an emotional week in our home. We found out the most amazing news on Friday: WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!! (This my four-week "belly pic")

I had to listen to the nurse's message 3 times before it sunk in. I had Peter listen to it twice! We have been shouting it from the mountaintops. God is SO good. It's funny how a year and a half of trying to have a baby can feel like an eternity when you're in the midst. Now that I have a baby growing inside my womb, it feels like mere moments.

It was one of the greatest blessings of my life to be able to tell my husband that he's a daddy. Earlier that morning, we had agreed I'd just give him a quick call with the results of the test (assuming they were negative). When I listened to my message, I knew I had to tell him in person. I drove quickly over to his workplace and told him "Congratulations!" I've never seen him happier!

The LORD Takes Away:

On Monday night, I received a call from my dad letting me know that my Grandpa had passed away. Grandpa Jack was 88 years old (would be 89 in April). He spent the past 10 years on this earth homesick for my grandma who left for Heaven in 1998. In the middle of my grief, I have a peace and am able to see the Lord's timing. It was time for Grandpa to go home.

At Christmas, everyone was at Grandpa's to celebrate. We ate too much ("Clean it up!"), sang Christmas Carols, read the Christmas story, and exchanged gifts. A few of us even grabbed the tobogan and went sledding! It couldn't have been a better day. What a blessing!

I also had the priviledge of telling Grandpa he is going to be a Great-Grandpa again. (The picture above is Grandpa with another great-grandchild.) He was thrilled! Grandpa told me he had some news of his own--though not as big as my news. He had bought a cell phone! The way he talked about his phone was the way a child talks about a new toy. Thank you Lord for a beautiful last conversation with my Grandpa.

Blessed Be the Name of the LORD!!!