Constance Grace

One of Brian and I's greatest joys is being an aunt and an uncle. Gracie is our fourth niece. We love showering our nieces with attention, care, prayers, ice cream... Every good thing we can give them. And I have eagerly looked forward to sharing all these good things with Gracie. To loving her laugh, her personality, her sass, her questions, her little shoes, and most importantly to seeing the way the Lord moves in her. 

Over the last few weeks of Hawley's pregnancy, I've been marveling with her about the Lord's plan for Gracie. We talked about how he planned her entrance into the world. That he knew it from eternity and that he was crafting her story. We had no idea that it would go the way he wrote it. 

The Lord has actively prepared Hawley and Gus to be Gracie's parents. And for Hawley, one of the biggest moments was watching Bryan and Lori. I remember how she struggled with God allowing something awful to happen to them, and Bryan challenging her to accept that it was right, that the Lord wasn't suddenly trespassing his character by taking Lori home. Then later, after that was able to sink in, Bryan asked her to go further, to accept that it was good. And after wrestling with that for a time, she once again went to Bryan, and he asked her to go yet another step, trusting that it was the Lord's best for he and Lori. 

Now Hawley is back on that path. Trying to trust God that somehow this is right. Since day one, Hawley knew these were the incremental steps she would take with her own loss.  She knows that eventually she will see this as the Lord's best--as difficult as that is. And I'm amazed by her strength in even admitting that eventual outcome. I am incredibly thankful that I can entrust her to such a faithful God who goes ahead to prepare her and a faithful church family that will walk with her through every step. 

While I keenly feel the loss of knowing Gracie, I do get to enjoy seeing the work God is doing through my beautiful niece. It is a bold, deep work. One that only the greatest author could write.  And I am thankful to bear witness to his Constant Grace.