The Visit in Nebraska

I was blessed to go to Nebraska on Thursday last week to visit my children and grandchild. I stayed until Tuesday morning and came back to Texas with Gail, then spent a few days being really sick. Time to catch up.

We tried to be a help to Matt and Laura as they begin figuring out what parenthood is like, and I spent a significant amount of time holding Kyleigh. (Big smile on this side of the monitor.) All personal prejudice aside, she is a beautiful baby and a great blessing. There are so many things I wanted to say to Matt and Laura about all of this and never really said, but I hope we were able to pass on something of the love we have for them, the importance of family support, the need we all have to be helped once in a while. With a new baby, there are always things to do and sleep is at a premium. Matt's family and Laura's family do the family things so differently that I'm afraid we might have overwhelmed Matt a little, but he was patient and kind with us.

Kyleigh is a typical baby (if that exists) with her own preferences. She likes to eat and wants to be fed a little more before she goes down for a nap, even if she's pretty full. She sleeps pretty well, especially if Grandpa is holding her...(Ahem). She knows Gail's voice and is calmed by it. She smiles a lot when she sleeps and you can tell sometimes she is dreaming. She loves music and the outdoors. She is a perfect little person; part Matt, part Laura, part Creator. Like all babies, she will be a handful for her Dad and Mom. She will show them something of what God's love for us really means when He calls us his children.

I hope that Matt and Laura will have many really good days to go with the rough days. Being parents is not always easy, but even the rough days can be better with some help.

I am reminded in all of this of that passage by Paul in Galatians 6:2....Carry each other's burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. I missed the memo that gave us the definition of what the "law of Christ" is, but it may have been a common phrase of the day. It speaks of the importance of church as family, the nature of our giving to each other of ourselves. Inwardly I grieved for Matt and Laura while we were there, because I never got to meet any of their church family (they worsip with a small church some distance from home, so they literally had no visitors but us). I know that if they were in Abilene, they would be deluged by well-wishing brothers and sisters willing to help and bring food and just celebrate the birth of their daughter. I know that can sometimes be too much and it's easily overdone, but I also know how important it is in life to be reminded of the love of Jesus through the church. We are not designed by God to do it alone.

Kyleigh is a precious, precious gift from God, and I am thankful to be involved with his blessing of Matt and Laura. I find that being a real live Grandpa is quite pleasant and enjoyable, very much like being G'ampa C. There is probably a message there for me...