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My Christmas Present

We certainly didn’t plan on having a baby on Christmas morning. But that was, without a doubt, what happened.

From the  outside looking in perspective, or even our own  once-held this might actually happen standpoint, a December 25th birth isn’t ideal. Yet here we are, and it was more than fine. To be fair, the more important birth that we’re thinking about on Christmas also transpired in less than ideal circumstances. That isn’t something I told my wife during her labor, mind you.

Now I have four boys.

Pray for my wife. She is an island of femininity in a raging sea of fishing and super heroes and lego and football. Her track record for remaining strong is impeccable, however. We have ground rules: no shooting Nerf guns at mama, no tackling mama, mama is fine with you catching lots of fish but don’t expect her to unhook them, etc. She holds us to these mandates.

And she lets her boys be boys. Holding my little guy yesterday I told him all about the things he’ll do with his brothers and me. Of course we discussed fly fishing. I didn’t get too technical. The finer points of dry fly fishing and specific brook trout locations can wait. In these first 24 hours we’re just hitting the high points.

He hasn’t been privy to most of what I’ve been thinking about. Like, how is this all going to work? Or, how do we fish? I’ll need to help the 6 year old (who can fly cast very well) while helping the 4 year old (who prefers worms and bobbers) while not making the 2 year old feel left out (he will) all while mama needs help taking care of the baby. Expect that post on Casting Across sometime soon. Because, you know, I’ll figure it out.

I’m confident I’ll figure at least some of it out, because I’ve sat in this very same hospital and thought very similar questions. I’m confident I’ll figure more of it out because my wife is amazing. I’m confident I’ll receive the grace I need to figure out what is absolutely necessary to figure out, because of everything that accompanied that more important birth that we were thinking about yesterday.

In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence
And his children will have refuge.
Proverbs 14:26

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20 comments

  2. Les Crews says:

    Congratulations!!
    May the miracle of birth and life accompanied by the infinite blessings that came from the birth of the baby Jesus dwell with your family for all time.

  8. Bill Love says:

    One more boy and you can coach your own basketball team! Congratulations Mom and Dad. Christmas will be even more special for the CA family.

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