Being Fully Where You Are

After a week here in Texas with a precious new grandbaby, I fly home today. It's hard to believe that God has so blessed our family, widening our circle, from what we call 'the original five' (and 'fab five' when no one else is listening). We've grown to 13! Remembering days of the five of us sitting around the Thanksgiving table, knowing it should have been more crowded but family was scattered across the country, it's wonderful to know the table will be more crowded in years to come. We might even have enough now to put up that 'kid table' everyone talks about. That would be such fun, and call for a lot of mashed potatoes too!

I've had a few mornings, just me and this little one, sitting in the armchair of the living room, while her parents grabbed another hour or so of desperately needed sleep. Sitting here for over an hour, looking down at her face I've been washed over with many emotions.

How precious is life?! We take babies for granted. We shouldn't. They are a gift, not an automatic one, and how anyone can watch a newborn breathing those tiny, shallow little breaths, eyelashes fluttering and the teensiest smiles fluttering across their face and not see the hand of God is beyond me. God's plan to take nine months to create this new one, bring her into the world with so much labor and angst and effort, and have her be completely, utterly helpless - when a new foal is up running around the pasture in no time - obviously He had something much different and more grand in mind for we who are 'created in His image'. To get to spend a bit of time holding this little one, so fresh and new in the world, is a fleeting treasure.

Being on the sidelines, watching a couple grow into their new role as parents, oh the effort. The exhaustion. The concern. I wonder if that's how God feels about us sometimes, watching as we struggle and stumble along?

I fly home today, to my husband, and another daughter and her little family. Another grandchild who is waiting for me to build snowmen and make snow angels, and read stories and play Hungry Hippos. The mother / grammy in me is torn everytime I leave one to be with another. God, help me to be fully where I am right now. To recognize every day is laced with fleeting moments like these, that won't come again. Don't look back. Don't fret about what's ahead. Just be here, fully, in this moment.