Motherhood and a Frozen Family Announcement
I am obnoxious … totally out of control when it comes to my family. Of all of the things that I have accomplished or completed in my life … my family ranks at the top of my list. The very top of the list. Every single day.
There is absolutely nothing like bein’ a mom.
I am not a helicopter mom … but I have been known to be braggadocios. Yuck. Sorry about that.
I have been a mom for nearly 34 years! Well … actually a little over 34 years because I really do believe that life begins at conception. Motherhood has comprised the grandest, most challenging, most fulfilling, most humbling, most gratifying moments of my life.
Motherhood has kept me on my knees.
Who knew that I had the tenacity to sit in pouring rainstorms while cheering for high school football teams? Who knew?!
Who knew that I would perfect the art of grilled cheese sandwiches to maximum gooeyness?!
Who knew that I could change an explosive diaper without gagging … teach 5 teens to drive without harming them … and play a competitive game of H.O.R.S.E. in the driveway with neighborhood boys?
Having raised 5 children … I wonder how many potatoes I have peeled over the last 34 years? I wonder how many PBJ’s I have made … I wonder how many silly songs I have written … how many books I have read out loud … how many stinky towels I have washed … I wonder.
I wonder how many boo-boos I have kissed … how many candles I have placed atop birthday cakes … how many prayers I have prayed. I wonder.
I wonder how many legos I have stepped on … how many beds I have made … how many nights I have fallen into bed utterly exhausted but gloriously fulfilled. I wonder.
And now … as I look at the men and women that my children have become … I stare in utter awe of what God has done. Any weakness in them I take full responsibility for … and any strength or gift that they possess I will give God all the glory for!
Matt … a coach of coaches. A leader of leaders. A dynamic speaker … a voice of integrity and righteousness. A lover of God. A husband who serves and a father who cares.
Chris … this kid was born with a song in his heart. A worshipper. A creative genius. Kindness exudes from every pore of his body. A great dad and loving husband.
Jordan … the one for whom we prayed. The baby who was born after losing 5 babies. A musician of unsurpassed excellence and a reader of great literature. There is not a mean bone in his body. How did I get to be his mom?!
Joy … the first splash of pink after 3 boys. She lives up to her name. A classical pianist … the pied piper of children … she possesses a wisdom that would make even Solomon take note.
Joni … my missionary to the nations. Immovable … focused … a scholar and an athlete. She embraces a call so rare and so heartfelt that we are all moved to tears dreaming about the nations that she will impact.
(I told you I could be braggadocios.)
And now the next generation has begun to make their significant arrivals! If you think I am an obnoxious mom … just let me begin to talk about those grandbabies!
However … I will spare you the details of my brilliant, beautiful and anointed grandchildren for now. But what I do want to share with you today is that there is another one on the way!
Another little gift from heaven … filled with potential and sparkle and promise. We don’t know yet whether it is a girl or a boy … but we do know that God has ordained this little life since the very beginning of time.
“You saw me before I was born. Everyday of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single moment passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, Oh God! They cannot be numbered. I can’t even count them, they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, You are still with me.” – Psalm 139:16-18
And so, in honor of this nameless and growing mass of potential, I thought I would share the announcement that Chris and Liz created to let their friends and family know that another little McLeod is on the way.
This miniature McLeod person, while yet in sweet Liz’s womb, has the potential to change the world … to write a symphony … to heal disease … to feed the poor … and to love the difficult.
My prayer for you today is that you will go back to the Father Who created you and dream big dreams with Him. You are here for purpose and destiny and He has not forgotten why you were created. The fingerprint of the Divine is upon you.
You are God’s “for the first time in forever!” He couldn’t wait for your grand entrance upon planet earth. The angels cheered your arrival and wait in breathless anticipation for all that you will become!
It is never too late to be who God has called you to be. God meant your minutes to matter and calls you to live a life beyond regret. Today is the first day of your forever … so live big! Live exuberantly! Live with the song of heaven in your very soul!
