This morning one phone call brought news, both joyful and sad. In one call I learned that Nate's Grandma Margaret had left this world and has gone to be with Jesus. I also learned that his sister Andrea is in labor this morning and is about to bring her third child into this world.

Grandma Margaret was a very classy woman who I had the privilege of knowing for a very short twelve years. She always looked wonderful adorned with jewelry whether she was dressed up or just wearing a sweatshirt. She showed her love and concern by making sure that the kids finished their milk and that they weren't cold, they needed socks on those little toes. She would sit at the table or on the couch and watch as her great-grandchildren played around her, quietly observing as they scampered around her feet. She was ninety-six year old. I only knew her for the last few years of her life. I would love to know the stories of her twenties, of the styles she wore and the things she did with her time. Did she wear pigtails and bows when she was eight? Did she like to play with dolls? Ninety-six years. Countless moments of joy and sorrow. I believe she knew that as she was leaving, someone new was coming.

I think of my dear sister-in-law Andrea today. As her body takes over and instinctively does what it was designed to do, may she soak in every last moment. May she remember every feeling and every emotion as she sacredly brings another little soul into this world. Was the ultrasound right? Will this be a little girl? Will she wear pigtails and bows when she is 8? Will she like to play with dolls? What kind of woman will she be in her twenties? Will she see ninety-six years on this earth? What sorrows and joys await her in this life she is about to embark on? Who will this little soul be?

It is a day that cannot be described within the limits of words. We have lost, but we are gaining. We sigh with sadness, but we look forward with anticipation. We do not know what a day will hold, but He does. And He knew what he was doing when he orchestrated this day.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die........... a time to weep and a time to laugh..........a time to mourn and a time to dance.

Excerpts from Ecclesiastes 3.