Pictured from left to right: my grandmother, (help on who this is, Mom!), me, my grandfather, my mother, and my father
This photo was taken during my baby blessing (or dedication) and you might think that I am going to discuss how God began a lifetime of blessing me on this day. While that is most certainly true, that isn't the story behind this picture.
The real story began many years before I was born. My grandparents had three daughters and one son. My grandma encouraged me to space my babies five years apart like she did so that the older children would be in school when the baby arrived. I didn't exactly follow that advice! I would have been 53 when the last one was born and I didn't exactly send them to school (we homeschool if you're new to this blog).
My mom will have to help me edit this post because I am not sure if she was born when the accident occured or not. My grandparents' two older daughters (10 and 5) went sledding one winter day in Iowa. Their sled struck a parked car at the end of their ride and their five-year-old daughter sustained a fatal head injury as a result. My grandmother, who eventually lost her husband of almost fifty years, said that nothing was harder than losing a child. I can't imagine the pain of it.
My mother told me that prior to this tragic accident, her father was not a Christian. It's been said that trials will either drive us away from God or toward Him. In my grandfather's case, he wanted to be sure that he would see his beloved daughter again in heaven. He became a believer and eventually an elder in his church. If my grandfather had not come to faith, I wonder if I would have? Only God can work good from such terrible circumstances.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
The minister’s name was Eldon can’t remember his last name. He was extremely nice though. Look at the picture and make a mental note of how my mother and I were color coordinated that day. Very nice post and by the way your father and I were very proud of our beautiful baby girl.
your father was so handsome, wasn’t he?
He was. Killer dimples.
And he Knew It!! 🙂