Today my family celebrated the Sabbath together for the first time as a family of seven. Our little Cristabel slept through the majority of the celebration, but the event was clearly enhanced by her presence. At a mere five days old she has already seen God's hand upon her life. It seems that the umbilical cord and placenta were not attached appropriately, and because of this Shelly should have suffered internal bleeding and an emergency C-section. The midwife and doctors were amazed that none of this occurred given what they saw. They told us we were very lucky. We felt blessed and thankful.
The sleepy little girl with chubby cheeks and a head that seems much too heavy for her to keep in a normal position has added much to the atmosphere of our home. However, she was not the sole source of my thankfulness. From the Sabbath feast prepared by my oldest daughter through the sermon delivered by Chaplain Price to the family discussion that lasted long past bedtime, I was reminded of the joys of parenthood. With two little ones who want to fall asleep in my arms and three older ones who love discussing the important details of the morning's sermon and the impact of their beliefs on their future lives, I write this feeling very blessed.
Of course all five of these blessings are available to me because of one great blessing that God bestowed upon me eighteen years ago. My lovely bride has been a loving wife and wonderful mother and teacher to our children and continues to be the biggest reason why our home is such a tremendous blessing to me. And just this week she has once again amazed me with her strength and courage.
To my wonderful wife and once more "new" mother I say Happy Valentine's Day. I love you.