It's an Advent of a different sort.
Part of it has to do with this upcoming move. The anticipation of moving into a new house can be joy-filled, but along with that goes the agony of the preparation: the endless packing and labeling, the feeling of limbo, the unsettledness of it all.
The other part has to do with our personal family journey. There are many aspects to this journey. The most difficult one is that God has decided for some reason that our home will not be blessed with a new life just yet... if ever. This is difficult for us and for our children to understand. Another kind of limbo sets in. Do we give away our baby things? The crib? The high chair? What about that darling Mary Engelbreit print car seat? My de-cluttering second self paces in circles, wondering what to do with all of this.... stuff.
But, there is never an end to Advent. At least, not down here on earth. It continues throughout our entire lives, as we prepare for milestone after milestone. Through it all, we must remember that there is ultimately only one "event" in our lives that carries the weight, the significance of that First Christmas. And we should, we must, spend our entire lives preparing for it.
To meet our Heavenly Saviour face to face.
7 comments:
This is a lovely post, Nutmeg.
Yes, we must always be prepared.
"So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." Mt 24:44
Keep those baby things. You never know what family God has planned for you. I have an 18, 15, 11 and 5. Not the family I ever thought I would have, but God knows better than I.
God bless you, Nutmeg.
Don't hesitate to give them away if the opportunity rises. If or when you are expecting again God will provide for what you'll need in delightful ways!
I loved the post.
Oh, yes, I know what you mean. Waiting here too to see what God has planned. Waiting here too to see if I should give away the baby stuff. God bless!
Well, I gave away all my baby stuff (minus the crib) and suddenly baby #5 came along.
Try to take comfort in all your blessings. Maybe some suprises may happen in your bigger home soon ;)
I too gave away stuff after #4, only to find that we could have used it. What a joyful surprise to our plans.
I'm sorry that you and your family may be confronting the reality that that door is closed to you. I will pray for you to have the grace to accept what His will is for you.
Whether you give the stuff away or not, you've got your priorities straight (and -- doh! -- you've beaten me to Michael O'Brien's latest ... I think I'm getting it for Christmas.)
In a fit of decluttering-I'll-show-you-that-I-can-handle-all-these-miscarriages, God, I gave away tons of baby clothes and stuff. Then came Ramona. You just never know.
This is really a lovely post.
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