It’s 1:00 am and the words to the familiar Christmas tune ring quietly in my ears:
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and child
Holy infant, so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Mothers and fathers everywhere around the world teach their children the importance of the nativity story, the birth of Jesus, at Christmas.
This celebration of the baby Christ child’s entrance into our world, merely days before our own welcoming celebration of our most recent addition to our family, has been a keen reminder of the humble beginnings of our Savior’s life on earth for me this year.
Jesus, carried in his mother’s womb just as every other human baby, burst into the world as Mary labored to deliver him. Helpless and raw and new, he was placed into his teenage mother’s arms to be cared for and loved on, just like every other baby.
It was an entrance like every other into our world. A new soul entering our earthly realm.
A true miracle.
Jesus, our Savior, born into the world as a baby. Sent to deliver us from our own failings, to be our ultimate advocate, to stand in our place, and yet he was dependent upon the gentle care of loving parents to survive.
As I sit in the hospital and reflect on God’s goodness and His blessings to the world through Jesus, I am particularly grateful for God’s blessings on our family this year. While 2014 was full of both incredible opportunities and challenging situations for our family, our biggest blessing has come in the form of a new precious addition, just 36 short hours ago.
So we welcome baby Haven.
Her name and presence are a reminder of God’s nature as a refuge, a safe place for our soul.
Thank you to all of you who have prayed us through this pregnancy and for a safe and healthy delivery. I’ll share more of the story soon, but for now, we’re praising God for a wonderful experience in the hospital.
From beginning to end, we have been blessed with exceptional nurses and staff. As caregivers to us and to Haven, they have treated us more like family than the next patient to be checked off of a list. For anyone who has had an alternate experience, this tender care and attention during these most precious early moments is something to be cherished.
And ya’ll. I’m just convinced there is something special about night nurses on the mother/baby floor. Meet Amy, our “hero of the day” for both nights at the hospital. She’s taken exceptional care of us and we are so grateful. What a blessing!
*This post is part of the wonderful 5 Minute Friday series, where an incredible community of bloggers write for 5 minutes each Friday on a specific topic. Free writing. No edits. Writing just for the sheer joy of it. Today’s topic was “WELCOME”.
