celebration

there’s a season to mourn, & a season to rejoice, yet seldom are the two so inextricably intertwined as the death of my father & the arrival of our daughter.  this season holds for us both the deepest of sorrows & the deepest of joys.  and yet i can’t help but think that God is being merciful to allow us this new impending joy on the heels of such a loss.  the birth of our baby will not replace my father, but i do believe she will bring much healing to our souls.  today we celebrate the arrival of new life.

one weekend we said goodbye to my father at a pondside family gathering in north carolina.  the next weekend, in indiana, we celebrated the arrival of birdie at the most meaningful & beautiful baby shower I have ever attended (click on links for photo albums).  my father was honored & recognized at this celebration, through some framed photographs of him in the cake room, and a memorial slideshow at the end of the cookout.  yet we were still fully able to engage in the celebration, for truly this is a time to rejoice, too!  i felt so loved & surrounded, & was blown away by the time & care that friends took to plan such a fitting shower & to make such beautiful gifts.

phase one of the shower was outside at robin’s muncie home, with just the ladies.  it was outside, under perfect skies, with quilts on the lawn, birds chirping, the gifts displayed in an old radio flyer wagon, bird decorations everywhere.  bird cakes.  origami cranes hanging from the lights in robin’s house.  handmade onesies, mobiles, quilts, bibs with hand-stitched birds for our little bird, & even a homemade puppet theatre!  after the muncie shower we trekked to eaton, to the home where we’re living (robin & bill's), where the guys had prepared a cookout.  we continued to celebrate, & ended the evening with a bonfire by the river.  

thanks robin, lauren, lauren, & lisa!  you threw an amazing party that left us feeling swaddled in love.  and thanks to all our friends who came, who have loved us so well in the joys & sorrows, who celebrated with us all day & then graciously allowed us to send you home with tears in your eyes.  and thanks to the most honored guests--my mom from north carolina & josh’s parents from seattle!  mom drove up with us for the weekend, & mike & marti drove down from chicago where marti was holding a phlebotomy workshop.  it was a blessing to have our parents here for this special weekend.

: thanks for being here, mom :

: thanks gala + bents galore :