I have been pondering what to write in this post for a few days now. The headlines are filled with contentious, thought provoking and soul-destroying news. I could write about the news but I am so overwhelmed by the dire nature of some much of what is going on in the world I feel almost paralyzed as to what to write. The torture of Christians in Iraq, the violent devastation of homes in Gaza, the starvation in Sudan- where does one begin? As I reflected and prayed this morning it seemed that the world had become a heavy, dark place. Then I opened my email. I scanned down the list in my Inbox and new immediately which email I had to open first. The subject line was “He’s here”. It was a message from my life-long friend saying a new grandson had been born.
There is nothing to lift the spirits like the word that a baby is born. The long period of waiting through pregnancy is over. The wondering as to gender is determined. The concern over safe delivery has passed. The baby is born. He’s a boy – Henry Gordon, named after his late great- grandfather, a brother for Anna and Sam. Such exciting news. The promise and hope of a new life, the assurance that life goes on, the evidence of family love all wrapped up in eight pounds!
A baby does not take away the horrors that exist in our world but a baby does remind us that life is sweet and delicate and tender and that the generations roll one into the next. A baby bring tears – tears of joy.
