People everywhere are saying “Goodbye” to 2023 as we’re all wrapping up and starting anew.  Ah, a new year lies ahead of us all.  The year 2024 is full of endless possibilities.

We had a host of things happen in 2023, as I’m sure others did as well; some good, some bad.  We don’t cling to the bad; instead, we acknowledge, then open our hands and allow the winds of time to sweep the remnants out.

With high hopes and full of faith, we pray for our oldest daughter to be blessed with a healthy baby this year.  We have prayed so long for this, and believe surely God hears us and will answer soon.  She and her husband have struggled since the end of 2022, and it’s been painful to watch as they have gone through three losses.   While none were easy, the last one left us especially heartbroken when we learned the gender.  We were all in love from the very moment her suspicions were confirmed with the positive pregnancy test.  For some reason, though, it was not meant to be.  As hard as it has been to wrap our heads around this, we found comfort in knowing that as much as it hurts, we wouldn’t want a baby to come into this world if it would struggle or have anything seriously wrong with it.  There has to be a reason why this has happened, and after three losses, she “qualified” for further testing to dig deeper into this and take steps to ensure the next time will result in a beautiful strong heartbeat with no complications during her full-term pregnancy.  We look forward to the day we hold her baby in our arms and watch this gift from God grow and go on to do great things for His kingdom.

“He will bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

the oil of joy instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

 Isaiah 61:3

My son-in-law is a worship pastor, and my daughter works alongside him.  He aspires to become ordained.  We knew when we learned of this that they would not be without troubles in this life they are leading for God.  It seems those who try to walk with God are oftentimes struggling in the valley as they face trials and tribulations.  How unfair, right?  None of us are promised a life without problems.  Yet, in what they have gone through, they have not lost faith.  Instead, my daughter has taken her tremendous losses and has tried to pass along to others a gift so precious and beautiful.  She has thrown herself into her photography business, which has really taken off this year – praise God!  With her extremely reasonable packages, the idea came to her to do something greater with her work.  She has now launched The Aurora Bundle, a care package gift for others who have walked this same path yet went on to have their rainbow baby.  It touched my heart tremendously when she mentioned her idea to me.  Then, she gifted me with one of her care packages, as she recognized the loss I endured 20 years ago when I had a different type of loss with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy which required emergency surgery.  She explained she wanted me to be the first recipient and how she only wished she could have helped me through it years ago when I faced such a loss.  Ah, but she did!  She was just a little thing at seven years old back then.  Clinging to her and being on the receiving end of this blonde-haired blue-eyed beauty’s hugs helped more than she could ever understand.  And one day, I truly believe she will have a beautiful child wrap their loving arms around her, and she will know unconditional love like never before.

And so, we extend our hands out in front of us in anticipation now of all the wondrous and beautiful things God will fill them with this year.  We lift them high with our faces toward the Heavens, ready to receive the blessings we know He has in store.  We believe as the light shines down from Heaven, God’s goodness will wash over us, and His favor will shine upon us as well.  We walk into this new year with empty arms but full faith that God will fill them with a little bundle of joy and blessing sent straight from Him.

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