I have written before that it’s a unique blessing to have my mum and dad – Grace and David – living next door. Not many people get to be sixty years old and still have their parents around, at eighty-five and eighty-eight respectively.
Consequently, this past weekend we were able to enjoy the convergence of all six of their great-grandchildren. My niece Hannah – Geoff’s daughter – flew in from Florida with her four; then our daughter, Naomi, came down from Richmond with David and Beks.
So that made for all my mum and dad’s “greats” in one place. The above photo is on the way to the park. Wake Forest at 55-degrees and a handy park all adds up to great fun for the kids.
There’s something about a gathering of great-grandchildren that (while undoubtedly exhausting for “the ancients”) also adds life. I think it’s because children of all sizes point to the undeniable promise of tomorrow.
And – as we begin to approach the season of Advent – this surge of life remind us that the most substantial and inspirational encouragement we have regarding “what’s next” finds its voice in a baby, born for all of us. Not just the idea of life, but life itself.
Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away. Then we’re suddenly racing toward Christmas in a rush of excitement and preparation. So let’s not lose sight of what really matters, and let’s follow the star all the way to Bethlehem, Jesus, and more new life than we can contain.
Peace, and more peace – DEREK
