Problems are for Solving

But I did miss doing this on her birthday.

Last week, Elsie turned 7. I missed the day (and was planning to take it off!) but not supper.

Seven years ago Elsie was born on the one day she wasn’t supposed to be. There was a friend who was supposed to be at the birth with us and she said “any day but February 6th I’m free. And there it was, February 6th.

We dropped the “big kids” (who were not so big then, Moriah was almost 4–but they certainly are now!) off at the church building for someone else to take care of for the afternoon, and then headed to the hospital. “Yes, she’s dialated.” “Yes, Dr. Boyd will be coming in for the C-section.”

The nurse there was great. Jennifer. She was studying to be a CNM. “Wow. Maybe you’ll deliver our next baby!” We really liked her. And she was a student assistant for Bernice at Peter’s birth. Prophecy?

The doctor joked about his initials, which a news story had come out about another doctor stitching his initials into someone after a surgery. It was an easy birth–the anesthesiologist let me be in there for the epidural. It was a much nicer experience than with Moriah.

She came out, forcibly removed from her personal hot tub and promptly expelled a liberal amount of meconium into the fray. “Oh, a little poophead!” said the doctor. “Oh, it’s just a little meconium” I reply. The anesthesiologist thought I must be a medical student since I knew what meconium was. Ha ha.

She was beautiful. I know all babies are beautiful but Elsie was one of those babies that everyone said ought to be a baby model.

And now she’s 7. Hard to believe that the time has gone by so quickly. Elsie was born on the heels of a miscarriage in 1999. She was named after my grandmother who had died at about the same time as the miscarriage–very little time after we had moved to Illinois.

Elsie Katherine is also growing into a lovely woman. She still plays with the little kids as much as the big, but she grows in grace and beauty each day. I am thankful God has given us this time with her. Happy Birthday, Elsie, albeit a bit late! May you grow into a lovely woman who lives for Jesus all her days.

Life gets and stays full. Last week I had a “quick trip” to Atlanta that ended up taking almost 20 hours longer than expected (missed a flight, had a second cancelled) and barely made it back for Elsie’s birthday dinner. She’s 7 now.

Today is Moriah’s birthday–the big 11. Wow. Hard to believe that 11 years ago today was that hard, hard day. Right now, 11 years ago, I was at the Easley, SC McDonald’s because the “full field” inspection was the next day and I had stuff I was supposed to be doing. I came in, cleaned the top of the reach-in coolers and a few other tasks and went back to Greenville Memorial Hospital where a friend had stayed with TC, still recovering from the C-Section that morning. The next morning I had to go back into the restaurant for the inspection. It was a hard week.

But we had Moriah. I named her Moriah Elizabeth (the first of the four that I got to name). Moriah’s name was picked before the honeymoon was over (only a month before she was conceived, though). A dear friend worked at a place called Moriah House–a home for unwed mothers. They named it Moriah because Mt Moriah was where God provided a sacrifice in place of Isaac. Moriah is a place where God provides. Elizabeth means “God’s house.” Moriah’s name means, “God provides for His house.” And oh how He did. We had no (still don’t, btw!) medical insurance and the bills from the c-section were over $7,000. That was about 1/3 of my gross income in 1996. And God provided. Every day. And still does.

Moriah is blossoming into a young lady. She prefers adult conversation most of the time. She growing in grace and beauty and I am thankful that God has given her to us. May He grow her into a mighty woman of God who loves Him all her days–more than even her own life.

Happy Birthday, my daughter. I am profoundly thankful that God gave you to us.