Hope

With each of my girls, a word has been impressed on my heart in the months prior to their births. My first daughter - Kaiden - is Joy. She was born in the midst of a hurricane evacuation and a cross country move. She smiled the day she was born and she laughed in her sleep at just 2 months old. All the world is a party waiting to happen. Kaiden is the pure embodiment of Joy.

Jordan is Peace. I misunderstood this word for some time. I thought that Jordan would be a peaceful easy baby and usher in a time of calm - instead she arrived in the world as Daddy packed for his first deployment. Jordan struggled with severe acid problems, sleep issues, and anxiousness - a life hardly of peace. But a few months into her life I began to understand the meaning of Peace. It was not that she was a peaceful baby, but that because of her needs she caused us all to slow down and live a simpler, more Peace-filled life. Jordan continues to be a girl of Peace - seeking peace in times of strife and conflict and continuing to seek a simpler, calmer life than her older sister or I tend to live.

Lia is Grace. I learned of Grace not through Lia's life, but in her death. Lia was stillborn, and through the struggle and grief I came to understand the Grace of God as strength in our weakness. Lia's word - Grace - was impressed upon me several months prior to her birth - when all was well. Just like her word was given to us before her birth, God's Grace is extended to us even before we know of its necessity.

And now our new girl. While we don't have a name for her, we know her word - Hope. In the coming days I will share the stories of Hope and how my understanding of Hope grows day by day.