thursday afternoon

On the afternoon of Thursday, February 4th, my sister-in-law, Kimberly, delivered a healthy 8 lb 2 oz baby girl -- our first niece! -- named Lydia. As it always is with the birth of a child, and especially when it is the child that pushes you into parenthood, her arrival was nothing short of a beautiful miracle. From what I hear, everyone is doing fine, and we are all excited to someday meet her in person.


Meanwhile, also on Thursday afternoon, the husband of a very dear friend of mine from Muncie passed away after a 9 month battle with brain cancer. The news of his death was not unexpected, and was in many ways seen as a blessing and a direct answer to requested prayers. As I followed the updates on his health that he and his family shared, I was inspired by their undeterred faith, hope and courage. And I was touched with how selflessly they let him go. "What a miracle," his family stated, that the prayers of loved ones were answered in just the way that they had hoped. He will be missed most deeply, and my heart aches for the loss his family is now experiencing, but what a miracle, too, to know that he can continue to do great things in the next life.

In life or in death, Thursday afternoon was indeed an afternoon of miracles.