I have resisted the temptation to produce more TFTDs on the theme of my granddaughter…until now.
We are now in the fourth week of Advent and thinking about love. I can still remember the moment I held Ottilie for the first time, nearly 3 months ago. There was an overwhelming feeling of…. love, plain and simple, impossible to put into words.
I have held many newborn babies in my time. I have even delivered a few at home, but this feeling of emotion was very, very different. I think, on reflection, it was different even to the emotions I felt after the birth of Ottilie’s father and uncle all those years back. This time round I had the feeling of love without the “smokescreen” of hormones and drugs given when in labour oneself. This child was an expression of the love between her parents, and was a (very small) part of me.
How did Mary feel when she held Jesus in her arms? How did Joseph feel when he saw that his wife was through the pain of childbirth and there was this tiny new life? I’m sure there would have been a huge sense of relief, of joy, and a deep, deep, sense of love.
As we edge ever nearer to Christmas Day, we may fear what the future holds, will it all go smoothly (whatever “it” is for you)?
Let us experience that indescribable sense of love once more this Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of a newborn baby. And may our lives reflect that love as we give thanks for the miracle of Christ’s birth.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for the miracle of new life. Thank you for that deep sense of love that comes when we see you in the form of a newborn baby. Thank you that you love each one of us with a deep sense of love that is far beyond anything we may feel. Help us to share that love with others so that more will come to know that hope, joy, peace and love that only you can give. Amen