 |
Baby Karen's crib and bedding (from a
family member who was too eager to wait
until the baby shower). The crib mattress
is a generous hand-me-down from our
friends, deAnn, David, & Havah.
|
Verklempt: (adj) - Overcome with emotion; clenched; also written ferklempt. Etymology: Yiddish. Dictionary.com
We haven't even had a baby shower yet, and our nursery is already filling up with necessities and sweet little outfits that were too cute for our friends to pass up. Beyond that, not a day goes by that someone doesn't express their excitement and speak a blessing for our child-to-come.
It's so obvious that our baby is loved before she's even born. Chris and I couldn't be more thankful.
As I gaze into our child's crib in the morning light, I can't help but think about a photo that a friend of ours, Pastor Rob Tucker, took during a mission trip last summer. It captured an adorable Ethiopian child (maybe 4-months-old), looking up from inside a rusted metal bucket.
When I first glanced at that picture, I was horrified. The child looked as though he/she had been discarded. But when I looked a little closer, I realized that the bucket served as a crib, and that the baby was clothed, well-fed, and wrapped in blankets—perfectly content.
I don't know anything about that child or the family, but it seemed to me that he/she was dearly loved. There was no mattress to cushion the baby's head, no mobile to keep him/her entertained, no Baby Einstein playing to stimulate brain synapses—just the loving care of family and whatever they could provide to keep the baby safe and sheltered.
Although I'm excited to see our nursery coming together, I'm even more grateful for the love that's behind every gift. If a tornado sweeps through our townhouse and blows all of the material things away, I know that our baby will still be just as blessed. No matter what, she will be raised in a community that cherishes her and shows her God's love.
That is why, my blogosphere mishpocheh, I am all verklempt.
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." –1 Corinthians 13:13
