Dateline June 27th, One Month and Counting

Ella May Ice is due to arrive July 27th. Each day (and night) has its own periods of heartburn, nausea and aches and pains for Laura. We have the girls' room almost finished. Laura hasn't packed her suitcase yet (I keep telling her that this child will come like a theif in the night, leaving us naked and unprepared!). As far as we can tell Ella is healthy and right on track. Darby is excited about having a little sister; we think she will adjust well. We count our blessings inasmuch as when we were at 20-something weeks with Darby I was wheeling Laura around in a wheelchair. This go-around have had a much easier time in that regard.

My colleague and friend Russ King stopped me in the back of the office at school one day in the early spring semester (February or so). He told me that somehow God prepares parents hearts to love all of their children; that while it may seem hard to beleive now, our hearts will have as much love for two children as one child. I've thought about that often Russ, and as always, you are right. On a much larger, deeper and more profound scale must be the love of Father God for all of his creatures.

Certainly one of the (more?) significant metaphors in Scripture for the relationship we have with God is that he is Father to us. At the risk of extrapolating and projecting my parental experience onto God (thus having a God who looks suspiciously, er dangerously, like McGarvey Ice), I do find this particular metaphor meaningful at this point in my life. I often think of Jesus' words about the generosity of God: if you evil parents have your wits about you enough to give good gifts to your kids, what about a perfectly good Father in Heaven? Does he not know how to give good to those who ask of him? (MIV) [Not NIV, new International Version, but the MIV, the Mac Ice Version].

The experience of parenting puts a whole new spin on my read of Scripture, my theology of prayer, the list could go on. Just one (of a dozen) ways inwhich our situatedness affects (for good, ill or otherwise) our experience with the text. I could ramble on, enough now. I've got a dresser to paint.

Grace and peace.