One of the things I find myself extremely thankful for right now is my brothers. I find myself so hoping that Emma is blessed to have a brother. Growing up I had so many people who didn't have older brothers tell me how lucky I was to have a big brother. I always just agreed with them. :) I am pretty sure I have the most amazing big brother there is! I have always felt so safe and secure and loved when he is around. Like he has my back and I could go to him for anything. I am so proud of the man that he is and all that he has accomplished in his career and with his family. What I am most proud of though is his heart. He has a heart of gold. A loving, tender heart. Strong and silent, a gentle giant. He is a man of integrity and character who loves his family fiercely and who would do anything for them. It is one thing for me to say that I could trust him with my life, quite another thing to say that I could trust him with Emma's. I could, absolutely. I am sad that Emma will never know the joy and love and security of having an amazing big brother like mine but so thankful that she gets to call my big brother Uncle and know what it is to be loved and protected by him. I love you Lindon, more than words could ever say.
I have also been blessed with a baby brother. One that I protected and took care of while we were growing up but who I now feel protected and cared for by. Another man of integrity and character who loves his family fiercely. Another man whom I would trust with Emma's life. Another brother whom I love more than words could ever say. Perhaps God will one day bless Emma with a baby brother and she will be able to experience the joy and love that exists in that relationship. That is my hope right now. I am truly a blessed little and big sister and will always be so proud of my brothers and the men they have become.
I think about having a boy and how incredibly blessed that little boy would be. In this day and age there are so many little boys who don't have a positive male influence in their lives at all. In our family there is no shortage of strong, positive, loving male influences and that is such a blessing! I can see the heritage and legacy of those influences in my husband and in my brothers and I pray that one day that can be carried on in our family. Of course if God decides to bless us with another little girl I absolutely won't complain and will welcome her with joy and awe. I am just kinda hoping for snakes and snails and puppy dog tails!
For those of you who weren't at the party this weekend I thought I would include something that I wrote and read on behalf of Chad and myself, as well as some photos of the day. What a wonderful day it was. A day to celebrate the two most special and amazing people in my life. A day to celebrate answers to pray and God's goodness. There was a butterfly theme for the party which had huge signifance for me and this will explain why...
"First of all we want to thank you all for coming. So many of you have walked with us on this journey, praying for us and supporting us and it means so much that you would come here today to celebrate. As we gear up to once again do what is necessary to get on the waiting list and actively wait we trust that we can count on your continued support.
You may have noticed that there is a butterfly theme going on. There is a twofold reason for that. Firstly it is such a good representation of our journey to get here today. Just as a caterpillar has to yield and wait, not knowing what the future has in store, to one day emerge as a beautiful butterfly, so we had to yield and wait and wait and wait, and cocoon ourselves within the promise of God that He would one day add to our family, not knowing that what would emerge as we yielded and waited and left it in His hands would be something and someone more beautiful than we could have ever imagined. The other reason is Emma herself. Just as a caterpillar leaves behind the old life and emerges with a new more beautiful one Emma has been blessed to be able to leave behind a future that may not have been so beautiful or free to live what we hope and pray is a life filled with abundant love, security and happiness. We know that there will be a time or times when she has questions and that the older she gets the more she will understand and the deeper the questions will be. We pray that when those times come we will have the words to say that will bring her peace and give her answers and remind her again of all that God has done and how very much she is loved not just by us but by all who know her and have welcomed her with loving hearts. Of course it goes without saying that to us Emma is the most beautiful and precious gift that ever was and we will forever be so thankful to God for all He has done.
One of our main reasons for having this party today, besides celebrating that Emma is finally a Sakaluk, is that while some churches practice baby baptism and some churches practice child dedications we personally feel that neither is necessary and that because our situation was different and special we would do something different and special. We still want to acknowledge before our family and friends all that God has done and the precious gift that Emma is. We have asked my brother Mark if he would pray over Emma. Chad and I both have so much admiration and respect for Mark and Beth as a couple and for the way they are raising their children. They are such a true and genuine example of what it means to love and respect each other and to keep Christ as the centre of your marriage and of your family. They have walked with us on this journey from beginning to end, being there for us and crying with us and praying for us in the tough times and rejoicing with us and still praying for us in the good times. It is so important to us that Emma be prayed for by someone who doesn’t just talk the talk but who walks it out and lives it. Someone that we know is going to have an amazing and steady influence on her life. Although I know from growing up with him that Mark isn’t perfect he has proven himself time and again to be a man of God and a man of integrity. How special for Emma to have her Uncle Mark pray for her."
