Wednesday, November 30, 2016

November 30 – “The Text”

We finally got “The Call.”  Well, actually is was “The Text.”  And it was just the first of the two notifications we have been waiting for.  It was around 10:30 p.m.  Chris was already sound asleep when I heard the text notification sound go off on her phone.  I seriously considered just crawling over her to take a look, but I was still pretty stiff from the Turkey Bowl.  And besides, I figured it was probably just Words With Friends letting her know it was her turn to play.  But then it sounded again.  You know, that second warning that goes off when you don’t pay attention to the first one.  And this time Chris heard it.  I suppose it suddenly dawned on her that we were waiting for a phone call, after all.  Two of them, in fact.  So she sat up abruptly and groped for her glasses.  I waited patiently, wondering how long it would take to get packed.

Sure enough, it was Josh.  He was informing us that Christi not only had her regular doctor’s appointment the next day, but she also had a hospital reservation pending her arrival on Wednesday morning.  One way or another it was time for AnnaGrace to make her appearance.  Chris assured him that we would be on the road in the morning.  And so we were.

The big brothers were happy to have their fear of the unknown salved a little bit.  Seems Caleb in particular had been concerned about “who would watch us” when Mommy went to the hospital.  Now he knew for sure that there wouldn’t be a stranger in the house if they woke up and Mom and Dad were already at the hospital.  Happy to be of service as the “Official Non-Strangers,” Caleb. 

Last night we took Christi’s place at their church staff Christmas party.  I guess she wanted to stay at home and do her final nesting.  That or she didn’t want to deal with everyone asking when the baby was coming.  She did get her bags packed and all kinds of lists completed for whatever “Non-Strangers” would try to run things around the house while she was in the hospital.  The party was a lot of fun.  They have a considerable staff.  With their spouses included there must have been 80 or 100 people in the room, and the kids were cared for in their children’s wing until the call came for them to come see Santa.  The kids all had pizza, and the adults were treated to a catered barbeque meal from Rudy’s.  The games were different.  No spoilers here.  Seaside folks, you will probably see some version of them in the near future. 

All the people who talked to us were really proud of Josh and what he has done for the church.  That’s always good for a parent to hear.  From the college minister who looked like he was barely 20 to the 90 year old couple who sat next to us at our table, everyone seemed to have a really good time.  Now we move from festive mood to waiting mode.  Today should be the day of AnnaGrace.

Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Father, thank you for the encouragers Josh has on his staff.  Help them to grow closer so they can be more effective in working for you.  Amen.

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