New life

As the advent season had just begun, my heart swelled with the joy of preparing for the coming King.  Jesse tree ornaments were made, an advent book was purchased and Dave and I were excited for the mornings we could read each day together over coffee and then hang them on the tree.  My advent season would indeed be that of waiting....longing....yearning, yet not in the typical Christmas season way.  In a week's time, my heart experienced the tug of so much yearning that I literally thought it would bust.  I waited for a phone call from my parents to hear if my grandpa went home to be with Jesus.  I longed to be with my grieving family before he actually passed.  I yearned for that phone call to be soon.

When my heart couldn't take it anymore, we surrendered the financial stress and bought a ticket to leave in 4 days...just me and the little one.  That advent-like rush of heart groaning and expectancy flooded my soul yet again.  I excitedly began waiting for the coming days to have my dad and siblings meet Nora for the first time.  I grievously longed  for Dave to come with me since he couldn't find a substitute for the next two weeks.  I anxiously yearned for God's provision on this long international flight by myself with a 3 month old.  

Now almost two weeks has gone by and my brain still fumbles how to process the all sustaining, grace-filled provision I was granted in that trip to America.  It was almost too good to be true that in the exact year of my grandfather's passing, I was mandated to return to the States to renew Nora's visa.  It seems unreal that in this time of death, my grandma was able to hold the new life of her first great grandchild.  It's a joy to soak in the fact that my siblings who thought they would meet Nora for the first time at 9 months got to see her at 3.  And then to think because of all of these reasons drawing us to the States at this time, we could celebrate our first Christmas with family in 4 years!

May Christ be acknowledged in His goodness toward his children.  Although death brought us together, new life gave us a reason to celebrate.  Grandpa's new resurrected life, Nora's baby life, and the glorious life of our Savior, born in a manger.  What a season of joy! 

Four generations!

"Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot." - Isaiah 11:1