A birthday surprise

My husband’s mother is a sweet lady.

Our children call her Nana.

I call her Mom.

She’s not only a treasure to our family, her most endearing trait is her joy.

When our third daughter was three months old, Mom had a major stroke.

It robbed her of her speech, her ability to read and write, and her use of her right arm and right leg.

Therapy returned her ability to walk and a good deal of her speech returned, although her voice has never been the same.

She worked diligently to relearn to read and how to write left handed.

The doctor’s told us there were no guarantees as to how long she would live, due to the extreme damage the stroke inflicted, and that was 19 years ago.

Mom has endured many more health issues since that stroke and yet her smile is as bright, her laugh is as frequent.

She loves Jesus and others, and it’s beautiful.

God had a special birthday gift for Mom this New Year’s Day.

(Besides turning 70!)

Our granddaughter was born!

All our hearts were touched by this special surprise, because our daughter and husband had already made it known before she arrived that her middle name would be after her great grandmother’s.

Only God could have orchestrated something so special.

We are praising Him for His blessing to our family.

And as I prayed about what nickname to give our newest little beauty, Mom came to mind: joy.

Nothing could be more fitting.

Welcome, Joy!

We are so glad you are part of our family!

Psalm 35:27 NKJV — Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

Psalm 126:3 KJV — The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your blessings. Lord, thank You for our family. We are far from perfect and we have many areas of need, but we look to You for all things. We thank You for the ways You have been with us and Your incredible mercy and kindness. Lord Jesus, please continue to teach us how to walk with You and how to encourage others. Lord, please shine Your truth into our hearts and minds that we might not sin against You or others. Lord, please help us to be diligent in seeing to the cares of others, not just focused upon ourselves. Lord, please guide Baby Joy’s parents as they raise her and her siblings. Thank You for the miracle of life and the great joy of children. I love You, Jesus. Amen.