This weekend, we celebrated two major events namely, the birth of nephew number nine, Ogene, who was 6lb 7oz and our daughter’s 4th Birthday.
I’m sorry I have no photographs although I am trying to get one of the new baby – he is so gorgeous!
I’m sure I’m not the only mother who does this, but on our daughter’s birthday, my husband and I relayed the whole story leading up to her birth and then after the birth, with times and dates, reminding ourselves of the fun and not so fun parts of the birth (I escaped in the end, though not by choice, but I hail all mothers who give birth naturally!).
Of course, our daughter loves every minute of it, particularly the parts when we tell her that despite her “cone” shaped head when she was born (where she was engaged for so long) and eyes that met her forehead, we loved her the moment we set eyes on her.
The most fascinating thing about Sunday was the sense of gratitude we still felt after 4 years as we celebrated Elodie’s birthday and we openly told her how grateful we were to God for giving us such a beautiful, healthy little girl.
And though a hectic day with some 29 children and 16 adults at her party, in the still small quiet moments, I found time to just say “thank you” to God. At times we were given extras by the staff at the venue and people would ask “how comes they’re doing all of this for you” and my answer was simple “it’s the favour of God.”
Sometimes I still get the odd comment about the fact that we can’t possibly have just the one child and to be honest, I used to think that way but on Sunday, I was and still am so grateful to God for the one precious child He’s chosen for us to take care of.
There are times when she plays us up and steam is coming out of my ears and then I’m reminded (usually by her daddy) of the many parents who would love to have the opportunity of telling their child for the umpteenth time to “put your coat on!”
The reminder is often strong enough to stop the steam and change my countenance from a frown to a smile. As for Elodie, when she’s calmed down, she says “mummy, you still love me even when I do naughty things don’t you?” I give her a reassuring and unwavering “yes, and I’ll never stop loving you” as I watch her eyes glimmer, knowing how much she’s loved.
Whether you can relate to my story today or not, what are you grateful to God for?
No matter how small it might seem, don’t forget to praise Him because “The Lord inhabits the praises of His people,” and it’s when you show gratitude even in the midst of chaos, your perspectives on life change in an instant and so does your circumstances.
Until next time, God bless,
