Introducing Ella... from Jeff Rogers on Vimeo.
Today has been full of blessing. Though we're already the parents of two 4 year-old girls, this experience of delivery and our first day with our 3rd daughter has been grand and brand new. Due to complications (as many of you know) our twins were delivered in 2005 at 29 weeks of gestation (you can see their journey below if you haven't already). That amounted to an 8 week tour of the Valley of the Shadow of Death for the girls and Mom and Dad. Thankfully it remained just a tour. But what that experience has done is filled every moment with this third, lovely little girl with a deep gratitude that is difficult to put into words. There is nothing here to take for granted. As I write this, little Ella sleeps in her hospital crib in front of me in our room. It is a gift. It makes me realize how much that we may consider mundane that we take absolutely for granted. How many precious gifts do I scoff at on a daily basis because of some broken sense of entitlement? All of my daughters have taught me something profound about the importance of adopting a posture of thanksgiving no matter what the context or circumstance. There is much in this life that God has given us that should arouse our thanks. We can grow blind to that reality. Suffering, if we allow it, can heal our vision. I wouldn't be so bold as to pretend that my vision was healed but I can see clearer now than before.
And because of their story Ella will have some pretty awesome big sisters to learn from, love, serve and play with. We are deeply blessed in ways we know we can not recount.
Thank you for you love and support.
