My husband put together the crib the other day.
I mostly stood around watching, taking photos to document the process. We
couldn't believe we were suddenly that couple, setting up a
bed for a baby. Our baby. Why did the presence of a crib make this
life-changing event so real? I mean, my stretching belly, jabs and pokes and
ripples from inside, sounds of another heartbeat every time I visit the doctor-
these should make it real enough. Maybe it's the visual sign that Bump won't
always be in my middle.
Parenthood. What a challenge and a gift! How did
we get here? How will we know what to give this child? How can we be worthy of
this gift?
___________
For starters, we have awesome, loving parents.
Are they perfect? No. But we wouldn't give them up for anything. Will we raise
our child the way they raised us? Probably in more ways than we will admit
right now! But mostly what stands out from their parenting is unconditional
love. They don't give up on us even when we make mistakes. God doesn't give up
on us either. I kinda think they believe in us and that we will seek and find
the right path; when others believe in us, well, that's powerful.
More than our parents and extended family
members, Luke and I have been blessed with special people entering our lives
right when we needed them the most. Mentors, friends, and teachers have
encouraged our interests and helped us create our passions. We're better people
because of them.
For Luke, he found just the right support in
Blaine Kenney, Paul Akahoshi, Fred Gray, Larry Lambeth (my dad!), and Gary
Laabs to guide him in electronics, computers, and ham radio. He survived high
school with no small thanks to Bob Leake, teacher and friend, with whom he
worked side-by-side creating and building while also talking about life's
bigger picture. Off into the world he went, getting a pretty good job when he
was still just a youngster. There he met Terry and Wanda Horn, two special
people who became like family and stayed with him through some difficult life
moments. (Now they've "adopted" me too.) In college, Luke really
found his niche in the computer science world- a world made just for him I'm
sure. Amit Jain advised, challenged, and befriended him as Luke eventually
climbed all the way to the top, attaining his master's degree in Computer
Science.
I, a shy and stubborn child who didn't easily
reach out to others, was also blessed by Blaine and his lovely wife, Faith,
during a lonely time in my life. Horses and people, God's angels I think,
rescued me from sadness. In high school, Ms. Pearson (Diana as I now call her)
not only taught me a lot about libraries (what could be greater than working
around books?) but gave me an after-school job. (Years later we would work
together again, where I found the joy of giving back to others tutoring adults
in the English language). In school I loved biology but found my voice in
English classes. Mrs. Dielman, Mrs. Gornick, and Mrs. Winegar exposed me to
thought-provoking books and challenged me with writing assignments. I soared
into college loving the taste of words on the tip of my pencil. College blessed
me with more excellent writing coaches, especially Dan Lamberton and Gary Wiss,
and an art angel, Martha Mason. Lost in words and drawings, I would find peace
and joy. But beyond academics, I found God. A teary drive to Walt Meske's house
led to my baptism just before graduation. And an afternoon in Gary's office
led to my exodus from my safe college campus out into the world of hurting
students where I tried to be a mentor to them.
And of course, Luke found me and I found him. We
continue to receive blessings from people around us, and we focus on building
each other up. Maybe we don't feel ready in any way to take care of this little
one coming into this crazy world, but God's given us a lot of help along our
paths in life and I don't think He's going to quit.
