Beginnings and Firsts

There is something very special about a new beginning, a "first time."  This is a picture of my youngest son and his bride on their wedding day almost two years ago...06-07-08. This day marked the beginning of their lives together! They had "only just begun" as the song lyrics repeat...it was a beautiful wedding, their first day as husband and wife.

This past Saturday, March 20, 2010, was another first! The beginning of a new season, the first day of Spring! The weather was absolutely beautiful, and the gardener in me loves the beginning of a new season of flowers.

But the "Gran Jan" in me had another *first* this past Saturday that I would love to share with you!  A miracle of sorts, a blessing to enjoy thanks to the amazing technology of today. I laid eyes on my little grandson that isn't even born yet! Little Jackson, son of my youngest son and his sweet wife!

A FIRST! I saw my baby boy's yet unborn baby boy via the imagery of a 4-D sonogram.  It was so amazing. My son and his wife and both sets of grandparents were there.  We had a wonderful morning as we saw baby Jackson's sweet face. We can't wait to see him face to face!

Psalm 139:13-16

13  For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15  My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16  your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

And this last picture is another beginning...the first day my name became "Gran Jan" when little Zeke was born.  Oh the JOY, Gran Jan's JOY!

The Jesus Storybook Bible!

I love books - especially Bibles, and this is one I heartily recommend to all you moms and aunts and grandmoms out there!  It is called the Jesus Storybook Bible.  I first heard about it on Christian radio, Moody's "Midday Connection."  I remember just weeping and also shouting when some of the excerpts were read aloud.  I bought a copy before my grandson was even born, and I love to read it aloud to him.  This picture of Zeke was taken when he was just 4 and a half months old!

If you start reading this Bible storybook to your small children and grandchildren, by the time they hit the teen years they will have a clear understanding of God's story of redemption. It is SO good - even for adults, you will love it!
For example this is what is written in Leah's story... Now when Leah knew that God loved her, in her heart, suddenly it didn't matter anymore whether her husband loved her best, or if she was the prettiest. Someone had chosen her, someone did love her---with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.

This is taken from the back cover: "The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story.  And at the center of the Story, there is a baby, the Child upon whom everything would depend

Beautifully written and illustrated, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation-and at the center of their story, too.

A must buy for every parent and grandparent!

Love and Happy Reading Aloud Times,