3rd Trimester Pregnancy Realizations

Oh my, how the second trimester flew by!  Today I am 29 weeks along.  Meaning, this baby will be full term in 8 weeks (woh!) and is due in 11.  That’s a totally wild thought.  We couldn’t be more excited to welcome this little girl into our family but the dawn of parenthood is upon us and that is certainly daunting.

Over the holidays we spent time with my then pregnant sister-in-law who was 38 weeks along.  I’m happy to say she gave birth on January 4 to a beautiful boy, Landon Joseph Gerber.  We now have one nephew in St. Louis and another niece/nephew due in late June in Chicago!  It’s a wonderful time in our families of celebration and anticipation of the new arrivals.

I cannot seem to get over the fact of how grateful I am to be carrying this child.  When I think back several months ago to the stress, anxiety, heartbreak, tears, struggle, and suffering of losing a pregnancy and then the process of “trying,” I am overcome with such an emotion of gratitude.  No more morning temperatures, no more charting body signs, no more disappointment and frustration of weird cycles that all came to an eventual end. The female body is a mystery to me and I can really say that I am blessed that I did not have to “battle” mine for more than a period of months to become pregnant with this girl.  I met with my OBGYN in July concerning methods we were about to try in order to boost our fertility chances.  He said to call back and start the meds when my cycle ended–it never did.   Such a blessing.  I do not know what the future holds for us with other kiddos but God certainly answered our prayers for a child and a healthy pregnancy.  I wish the same for all of my dear friends who have suffered loss and are in the midst of that trial.

I started seeing a therapist last April to help me work through the grief process and anxiety of wanting a baby, among other things.  I still see her once a month as she helps me sort through the different elements of my life.  I look forward to continuing our meetings as I prepare for motherhood and then face the struggles of it with a newborn.  I love telling people about my experience in therapy/counseling.  It has been so beneficial for me on every level (emotional, physical, spiritual).  If you need a recommendation or want to know more about why I am such an advocate for therapy (scary word at times, but it shouldn’t be), please send me a message.

So, we are now in the third trimester and I have a few mental notes to make for myself.

- First, when you get to 28 weeks, go slowly.  In the course of the last week, Jacob and I painted the nursery, set up the crib, and I painted the nursery dresser.  I felt great during those first two items but after painting the dresser in about 30 hours, there was a small bit of hell to pay for me physically.  Also, note to self, when bending over on the ground, painting or otherwise, for several hours at a time, choose your wardrobe wisely–particularly in the undergarment area.  If you do not make things comfortable, you will regret it for several days.  (And that’s about as detailed as I’m gonna get.  Let’s just say, I’ve been walking very slowly around the house since Thursday night.)

- Borrowing is the BEST!!!  I am so blessed to have a few girlfriends who gave me their maternity clothes so I haven’t had to buy a ton.  In fact, I think I’ve got a pretty darn cute wardrobe.   I supplied my own pants and sweaters so it’s awesome that I now have pieces to layer it all with.  Thanks for the tights too, Becky!!

- People will always ask you, “How are you feeling?” when they see you.  This week my response was, “Well, pregnant.”  In other words, normal pregnancy aches and pains.  My legs and hips ache at night in bed, I can’t do as much physically as I could a month ago, and I have a squirming baby inside of me that makes it look like there’s an alien playing with my belly at times.  I must say, I love it when she goes all karate kid.

- Jacob and I actually love our current roles and I think we’ll love the future ones as well.  I am currently subbing 0-3 days and week and teach private voice lessons 2 days.  That means I have way more down time and I have been doing a lot with our home, running errands for us, and cooking/cleaning like nobody’s business.  Considering the fact that Jacob now has one full time and two part time jobs (60+ hrs of work each week), I love that I can take care of things mostly on my own with our home.  And guess what, he doesn’t hold it against me or anything when I’m not out working.  I must say, being this pregnant is a great excuse for not working as much but I do hope to make some positive financial contribution to our family before this princess arrives.

- Naps are awesome.  Saturday I was crazy tired for no reason.  I slept in, fell asleep on the couch after an early lunch, then went upstairs to the guest bedroom where Jacob was studying and fell asleep again.  I finally got to the grocery store accompanied by my sweet man about 7pm.  I’ve got no complaints.

The nursery (pictured below) is actually getting much closer to being ready.  Now we’re just waiting on one or two baby showers to help us fill in the gaps.  I’m such a planner that it’s hard to wait but I know we’ll have everything that we need for this baby when she arrives, whether the registry is empty or not.  God has been providing for us in great ways already and I’m sure his goodness will continue.

Thanks for your continued prayers for safety and health for me and our little one.
To see the progress of my baby bump, you can go to this Facebook album.

Here's Jacob with the finished crib and aloe vera painted walls. The rest of our house is still all white so this room is quite the pop of color.

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. It used to be white with a weird wood vinyl top. I also couldn't resist this lamp that has matching teal flowers on it when I passed it at Lowes.

I found these dresser knobs at Hobby Lobby. Who the heck decided that knobs should be so expensive?!? Luckily they were half off. I was looking for a brushed nickel but they didn't have it and these were more fun anyway.

Cranberry Pecan Scones

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2012 is destined to bring a lot of change to the Gerber family, but one thing that will not change is my love for scones.  I make them far too seldom in relation to how much I enjoy them and reminisce about the times my college roommate and I made scones in our dorm kitchen and would fiercely protect them from hungry onlookers.  A friend gave me a recipe I used to make scone mix as Christmas presents this year.  I did not actually try them out before gifting but I’m relieved to say that when I attempted them this morning they turned out just fine.

Here’s the recipe for the mix (which I divided in half for each person):
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
3/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pecans. Carefully transfer to a mason jar or plastic baggie. Place cherries/cranberries in a sandwich bag tied well and fit inside the top of the jar/baggie before closing.

Now wrap up the baggies or jars in cute stuff and you’ve got yourself a gift! I added in a half page of directions for how to actually make them along with the dry ingredients. Below is what I had:
Makes 4 large scones or 8 small scones

Ingredients:
1 dry scone mix (half of the recipe listed above)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
a little less than half a cup of water
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove bag of cranberries from bag and set aside. Place remaining contents in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with fingers, two knives or a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form. Add cranberries and toss to combine. Fold in water, mixing just until dough comes together. Dust hands with flour and knead dough a few times until ingredients are well incorporated. For large scones, pat dough into a 4-inch circle, about 1-inch thick. Cut into 4 wedges and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. For small scones, divide dough evenly into 2 balls and pat each into a 3-inch circle, about 3/4-inch thick. Cut each circle into 4 wedges and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Optional: brush scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes for small scones or about 20 minutes for larger scones.

Over Halfway & at the End

At last, it is the second week of December.  I have 5 days left of student teaching, with one more observation, and then I am done with full-time school!  This has been a great semester but I am glad to be tying up some loose ends and finally becoming a certified teacher of music.  I wish I could stay at Norris and continue my work with the classes but I am reminded that I am not getting paid for any of this and I should probably go do something that does not cost us money.  I will still be in contact with Norris on a weekly basis as I will be teaching private voice lessons to some of the students there a couple days a week.  I will also be hopefully substituting at Norris frequently, since I am familiar with the building and teachers.

Substituting will actually be my main career for awhile since I am not looking for a long-term position right now.  I plan to stay at home when baby comes and hopefully teach private lessons and/or sub a couple days a week in the fall.  We have no idea how babysitting will work out for us but we do know that we do not want full-time childcare to be a part of our little girl’s life for the first year or so.  I just know I won’t be able to part with her cuteness for too long.

By the way, it’s a girl!!  We had our halfway point ultrasound right before Thanksgiving and found out then that we are having a girl.  I was elated and surprised since Jacob referred to her as a him so often I basically started believing he was right about it.  He is also thrilled it’s a girl although he’s worried that he’ll never be able to tell her “no.”  He says if she ends up with blue eyes (his) and brown hair (mine), which we both think is a drop-dead gorgeous combination, he will be buying a gun for the boys very soon. 

Everything on the ultrasound looked great so we are ultimately incredibly thankful to be having a healthy baby.  I am almost 23 weeks at this point and can’t believe that we are well over halfway there.  I am starting to feel like maybe we should start actually preparing for this child.  This weekend we took a couple hours to register at Target.  I enjoyed it, a little too much, and Jacob, while he liked being the powerful scanner of items, grew pretty tired after the first hour but he hung in there like a champ.  Today I spent another couple hours online adjusting and adding items.  I have no idea what the grand total of our registry would be but I would be shocked if we got everything.  In fact, I am trying to remind myself of that fact.  Whenever you register it feels like you are somehow buying or reserving that item and every single thing will find it’s way to your door.  I know God will provide for our child in unexpected ways and it certainly does not all need to be brand new, but I do hope we can get the big items off the list so we can have the basics covered.  So, if you’re thinking about a baby gift for us, please try to stick to the registry.  I know it’s hard and you’re all creative people, but we really did register for the things that we like and need.  Yeah, that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

December is a great month though it will be insanely busy.  With me finishing school, subbing immediately, working at the mall December 16-31, various Christmas parties and events scheduled, and traveling to St. Louis December 25-28, we are going to feel a bit tired.  Jacob is also preaching every week, which means that our weekends are not exactly free and flexible.  But, we are both glad for him to have preaching opportunities so he can continue to study with a purpose and every little bit of extra work we do helps us get groceries and pay for ultrasounds, etc.

This year has been a trying one, but one that we are finishing in a spirit of celebration.  We are celebrating first and foremost the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; we are celebrating the many pregnancies of our friends and family–some that were expected and others that were completely out of the blue; and we are celebrating our own pregnancy blessing that is currently growing in my womb and kicking me more and more every day.  She is so cute.  I can’t decide if she kicks when she’s happy or annoyed–maybe both.

Below are the pictures from our last ultrasound.  I can’t get over that cute little nose.  Oh my goodness, how I want to kiss it already.

Here she is facing the "camera" with her hand up by her face and the umbilical cord coming up from the bottom.

Side shot of her body. The head is on your right and the dark space in the middle is her heart. Again, note the adorable nose.

Toes, look at those toes.

This is a side shot of her arm with her fist clenched by her head, which is still on your right. Excellent bone structure, if I do say so myself.

A Very Belated Update (It’s Not My First)

It has been quite some time since I last posted–sorry about that. Whenever I do not feel compelled to write something or I am not particularly happy with a recipe, I elect to go the silent route. However, there have been several drastic life changes, for the better, that I would love to share in more detail with you, my few readers that might still visit this blog on occasion.

I’ll just get right to it: I’m PREGNANT!! Yes, this is probably not new news to most of you but I’ve got to at least say it here. I found out I was pregnant toward the end of July. My due date is April 2, meaning I am currently 18 weeks along. I am so happy to say that despite initial unwarranted worries and some helpful progesterone supplements, the baby and I are both doing great. We have had two positive ultrasounds (8 and 13 weeks) and are due for another one November 22 (21 weeks). It is then that we are going to find out the gender, which we do plan to share with family and friends.

This has been a fairly manageable pregnancy in terms of sickness (well, besides the deathly bronchitis I had in September) and my “job” has allowed me to take care of myself well. I am student teaching at a high school and middle school with choir this semester. I could not have asked for a more cooperative and understanding cooperating teacher, and for that I am exceedingly grateful. He has been extremely flexible with my need not to work overly long days and to get to doctor’s appointments. He’s also very supportive of the work I do with the choirs.

There are so many thoughts about this pregnancy I’d like to share with you but I know I need to limit myself for now so this post is not a mile long. However, there has been something pressing on my heart for the past several weeks.

Individuals often ask me if this is my “first” when they find out I’m pregnant. Frequently I’ll say, “No, it’s not our first pregnancy but it’s the first to have gotten this far.” Other times I reply, “Yep.” I find myself battling the desire to validate the life of our first unborn child through acknowledgement and at the same time not wishing to become that vulnerable with every person I meet. Perhaps some of you who have experienced this before can tell me how to handle such circumstances with more grace. All I have come to conclude is that this is not my first. This is the child we have been praying for, waiting on, loving before it was created (and now even more as we get to see it develop), and are anxiously anticipating its arrival, but it’s not our first. Every once in a while I feel sad thinking about how these two siblings will not meet this side of eternity but I am grateful and thankful for both of their little beings and the way they have and will continue to change our lives. I’m sure the Gerber family would not be complete without them and, God willing, future additions to the crowd.

Perhaps I need not explain myself so much to you, who know me and my story.  But there’s this whole world out there full of people, ordinary and normal people, who ask me your average questions about my pregnancy and suddenly those questions can become difficult and awkward to answer. Here’s a sample of what I’ve experienced:

Old lady friend: “Oh, the first one is always so much fun!”  I contemplate a response and simply say, “Yes, yes it is.”  When in actuality I’m thinking, “Our first one broke my heart but I am still loved by God and I learned a lot from it.”

or

Responding to the bus driver: “This isn’t our first pregnancy but it is the first to have come this far.”  Bus lady responds, “I lost a pregnancy at 5 weeks along.  It was devastating.”

I guess that whole openness and honesty thing can be really great at getting two strangers to connect on an intimate level.  I just wish I was a bit braver for all of those encounters.

Ultimately, I want you to know, I am thrilled and ecstatic to be carrying a healthy 18 week old baby, and I only wish that it’s older sibling was still here to greet them this Spring.

Dear Jo

Dear Jo,
It’s come to be that time of year. I can’t stop thinking about how I wish you were here and about to be entering our lives. How I long to be uncomfortable, in pain, terrified at the thought of raising you, and hearing you cry as you take your first gasping breaths of air on this earth. The doctors told me you would be here on June 30th, but that was not the case. Sweet Jo, we hoped that God would bless us with your presence now but he had other plans. I can’t tell you how much I miss you.

I was thinking the other day about how your father and I used to take walks at night, even though it was cold, when you were with us because we wanted to keep you and me healthy. I was thinking about how it was so easy to give up caffeine and wine and all those other treats that could harm a tiny babe like you. I was thinking about how much fullness you brought into our lives. Jo, you were treasured.

We did not know that you were coming and we certainly did not know that you would be leaving us so soon after we learned about you. Darling Jo, you were loved. Precious Jo, you are loved.

Dearest Jo, I want you to know that on this day, the day that you were “due,” we are still thinking about and eagerly waiting to meet you. Jo, we are thankful. We are thankful for you and the way that you changed our lives forever. You taught us about love, contentment, compassion, mercy, grief, suffering, hope, and so many other things. Thank you, Jo.

I am thankful for you. I am thankful for the moments when I smiled sitting in class knowing that a little baby bean was also listening to that boring lecture. I am thankful for the complete fun it was surprising our friends and family with the news. I am so thankful that you opened my eyes to the experience of motherhood and the pain of those that have lost their own. I am thankful that God has used you to shape my life and to redirect my selfish heart.

Jo, until the day that I meet you, I will always miss you. I will always wonder why you were not destined long for this earth. I will still wish that there was another way for God to have refined and sanctified me. But Jo, I wouldn’t give up the eight weeks I had with you for anything. You were completely and utterly cherished.

I love you, little one. Rest well in the arms of our Savior until I can hold you.

Love,
Mom

Succulent Summer Cooking: Country-Style Ribs & Angel Biscuits,

Country-Style Grilled Ribs

3 lbs boneless country-style pork ribs
1 cup water
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon celery seed (or celery salt)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (or a healthy dash of cayenne pepper)
Dash pepper

Directions:
1. Place ribs in a shallow roasting pan with 1/2 C water. Cover with aluminum and bake at 325 degrees F for 1-1/4 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour 1 cup sauce over ribs, turn to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Grill ribs, uncovered, over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side, basting with 1 cup sauce and turning occasionally. Serve with remaining sauce.

Angel Biscuits

Recipe Courtesy of Nancy Brestel

2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 pack dry yeast (1 heaping tsp)
1 1/2 TB sugar
2/3 tsp baking soda
2/3 C buttermilk
1/3 C shortening
1/3 C warm water

Directions:
1. Combine dry ingredients, cut in shortening.
2. Add water and buttermilk.
3. Put soupy, sticky dough on a cutting board and knead in a little more flour, handling the dough as little as possible. Cut out circles with a glass.
4. Baste biscuits with butter before and after baking. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Audio from TGC “Is Your Church a Safe Place for Sad People?”

This plenary session, from The Gospel Coalition Conference, led by Nancy Guthrie is awesome. If you are in ministry, you definitely need to listen to this. If you care about the health of your church body and how you can contribute as well as be served, then you should also tune in. It’s an hour long but incredibly rich, accurate, and well worth the time. Check it out!

Listen to: Is Your Church a Safe Place for Sad People? Learning to Walk with Each Other Through Loss

A Mother’s Day

Jacob snapped this shot of me yesterday. I didn't think about it then but pearls would have been Jo's birthstone. Quite fitting, I think.

I am thankful to say that today is May 9, 2011, the spring semester of courses at UNL is over, I am employed for the summer and taking courses, and God is blessing me more and more every day. I was reminded last night at church that I need to be thankful that I am not in hell right now! Jesus lives, he is good, and his grace is sufficient for me.

With those positive things in mind, I can also say that yesterday was a tough day for me. On the fun side of things, Jacob and I celebrated our mothers with everyone together at a wonderful feast. Cards were opened, gifts were unwrapped, hugs were given, and pie was consumed. I am so thankful for the women who raised Jacob and me. We would certainly not be the people we are today and would probably not be together if it weren’t for the upbringing we had. They are fine examples of godly women and mothers. I hope to become more like them as I continue to mature into a woman of Christ.

Yesterday was unfortunately also a day of sorrow for Jacob and me. We lost a pregnancy in late November, which would have put me a little over 7 months pregnant today. This was a very awkward Mother’s Day on a personal level. It is hard not to dwell on where I could have been and what I could have had if God’s plans were different. I am a mother and have a child who I will know for eternity, but I have no child yet here on earth to celebrate with, nurture, and love. I actually was fairly composed most of the day until we got to church. Our pastor prayed at the beginning of the service for the women of the church. He prayed for those who are mothers, those who are mothers but have lost their children, and those who are longing to be mothers. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated that prayer. I wanted so much yesterday to honor and show respect to my mothers and those in our church and at the same time was hoping for a small acknowledgment of those women who do have children though they are not alive and those who desperately want children. I feel blessed to be upheld by a body of believers who not only prayed for such women but also spoke with me and sent me personal messages yesterday acknowledging the life that we lost. Such notes and words are so encouraging and cherished. I hope that I will have other children to celebrate and praise God for in the future Mothers Days.

I know having grief and sadness on a holiday is not something that only I have experienced. Yesterday I was reminded of the other women I know who have lost children and the children I know who have lost mothers. Holidays can be excruciating when the familial puzzle pieces are not in place. No amount of flowers or condolences will bring back the loved one that was lost, but, there are a few things that can help the grief and emotional well-being of the hurting person.

1. Prayer. Please pray for those who you know have heartache on a holiday (or any day). Pray that they would feel loved by God and others, that they would not feel alone, and that they would be able to celebrate the life that was given and taken.

2. Write/Speak. Write/Speak words of love to those who you know may be hurting. Sonnets are not required. Simple phrases like, “I know this day may be hard for you,” or “We’ve been praying for you and hope you feel loved today,” can do wonders for the heavy heart.

3. Show Sensitivity. This is wrapped up in numbers 1 and 2, but please consider that those who are hurting for a particular reason on any given holiday may need your understanding and compassion. They may need to avoid certain subjects in conversation that would normally come up. Just consider putting yourself in your friend’s situation and think about what words you would or would not want to hear.

I am confident that God is active in my situation and in others’ suffering. Why? The bible tells me so.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

“12Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain” (Philippians 2:12-16).

How a Poor Girl Decorates

Step 1: Drink wine and save corks in a vase of medium-large size. Parents/friends who donate wine corks to your cause will make the process go by much faster.
Step 2: Go buy seasonal fake flowers of your choice to put in said vase. Preferably those that are on sale. Rotate floral selection as needed to match the season/weather/your fleeting moods.
Step 3: Cut flowers to wanted height and arrange in vase with wine corks. Twisty ties on the stems help keep them together.
Step 4: Have water bottle handy to spray cats when they want to investigate the new décor.

Challenged

Today I am feeling challenged in a number of ways. I have a day off of classes so you’d think I was using this precious time to work ahead for the next week, which I plan to to do, but I am taking some time to reflect.

This morning I’ve spent quite a bit of time reading about the experiences of Molly Piper. She has a popular blog where she writes about her family and a lot about grief and faith. Her family experienced the loss of a daughter when she was stillborn in 2007. I’ve been reading her posts and have been reminded how much of a process it is to mourn the loss of a baby and how we all react differently and yet the same in so many ways. Reading about her words of advice for how to help a friend grieve has challenged me to continue sharing about the issue for myself and for others around me who are and have been in the midst of pregnancy/infant loss and infertility.

So much of this is hard to say in person because of awkwardness in the timing. (Ever notice how the truth can be horribly uncomfortable? I see this in my life with my sin all the time but also with my truest feelings that are sometimes not happy and full of joy.) It never seems like it’s the right time to be sad and cry and tell you every time I see you that I’m good and getting better, but still mourning for our lost baby and thinking about him/her on an hourly if not by-the-minute basis. I don’t really want to tell you in person that it’s hard for me to focus on anything else and anyone else. I especially don’t want to tell you how hard it is to fully rejoice alongside the wonderful and beautiful women who are right now experiencing healthy and happy pregnancies. I pray for the safety and health of the pregnant women I know and their babies every day. I don’t say that to sound boastful, I just want those of you who are pregnant to know that I really am happy and excited for you and I wish you and your families the best. I just don’t know how to say that all in person and maintain some form of composure.

Grief really is quite awkward, among other things. The difficult experience is still poignant and in the front of your mind while the lives of those around you press on. I feel awkward and uncomfortable admitting that I’m still mourning and missing Jo and will be to some degree for the rest of my life. There’s great tension in wanting to move on in life with “the rest of you”, to be a “good” Christian and get back to complete and utter joyfulness in Christ (which is a great thing–don’t get me wrong), but often you still feel stuck in your painful experience.

If you have a friend who is grieving right now and has experienced a loss whether recent or in the past, know that they never forget that loss. Know that it’s okay, for most, to ask about how they are doing now and how you can pray for them today. I thankfully am not crying every day, am no longer set to a default depressed mood when I wake up, and I do feel very blessed by God right now in my life. I like so many who have lost loved ones at any age still need your prayers and understanding. I want to encourage you to meet mothers who have lost babies where they are–to do so you have to ask them about where they are and see if now is a good time for them to share with you. Obviously, it’s up to the individual person how much they want to share with you about their current or past dealings with suffering. My few experiences in this area give me the sense that a lot of people feel uncomfortable asking about the suffering in their friend’s lives and their friends probably have more to share than what’s been told. Please note, this is my experience and just an opinion. What I am saying will have a different perspective than another woman who has lost a baby.

The reason I started reading Molly Piper’s blog this morning was because of this post about how to grieve with and try to understand someone else’ loss. This is an area that I need to improve on so much in my life. This world is obviously not perfect. There is pain and suffering and I am reminded today that we need to come alongside each other and empathize as the body of Christ. I need to continually work on how I show love and understanding to those around me who are experiencing any type of suffering.

This is why I feel challenged today. I also feel challenged in light of my husband’s recent ordination. He is officially a Reverend and that means I am officially a Reverend’s wife. His ordination service was such a great reminder that I need to be a woman of the Word. I need to be walking with God and meditating on Scripture day and night. I know in the coming years (and today) I will need God’s grace and the strength of the Holy Spirit to work and minister with Jacob.

That, friends, is about all I have to say (for now),
Allison G.