Wednesday, October 18, 2017

#tablefor8

It’s hard to process all of my thoughts this morning. Partly because I haven’t had coffee yet but mostly because I’m so overwhelmed with joy. Our minivan is officially full (don’t worry we have a 12 passenger if you’re looking for a ride) now that Avery has made his debut. I couldn’t be more proud to be a dad than I am with six beautiful kiddos. Beyond their sheer good looks (Thanks Thiele!!) I’ve been humbled to see them rally around their little brother. The sweet hugs and kisses are consistently making my eyes well up with tears. The good kind of course! There doesn’t seem to be a way to describe how powerfully our family has chipped away at the ugly places in my heart and brought real, tangible, transformative change. God has been so faithful in his care of us and gently opens my eyes to fresh perspective consistently. There isn’t any love greater than his and yet I feel like I’m bursting with love of my own for my family. It’s humbling to think of how great and wide and deep it is. The last few days while we were waiting for his arrival it was quite the experience in public. Five crazy kids, one very pregnant woman, me, and a partridge in a pear tree. We spent the last few days out and about trying to get gravity to do its work while being constantly reminded that our culture doesn’t see big families often. “Are those all yours”, “Do you have a TV”, and “Are you going to be the next duggars” are some of my favorite comments. To be honest it’s mostly the stares that get me. Eyes so wide I can almost see their souls. It used to bother me but I’ve mostly moved past that (with some exceptions). I’ve learned that it’s an incredible opportunity to connect with people and an easy conversation starter. My favorite part is seeing the kids connect with people and build relationships. It sounds crazy but people tend to remember us because they don’t see big families often. We went to Goodwill over the weekend and I decided to go in with the crew (thrift stores sometimes give me anxiety so I’m usually in the car 😂). Before we entered Alyvia was saying that she hoped her favorite cashier was there! As soon as we walked in my girls were behind the cash wrap giving Chiquita a hug and asking her about her day. The stares from the line of people let me know that this was indeed a spectacle for some. Personally, I was humbled by the connection they’ve clearly made with a stranger they see every couple weeks. When we left Thiele was telling me about how her family had been unable to get out of Houston a few weeks before and other stories they’ve shared. I continue to be humbled by the opportunities my family has seized to connect with people when they cross paths. Those moments remind me of what is truly significant. Now just a few days later we’ve transformed from a family of seven to a family of eight. The joy in my heart is overflowing (now if someone could overflow my coffee...) and I’m encouraged by my grandma. I can almost hear her voice whispering to me and telling me stories from her childhood in Newfoundland while my sisters and I sat with baited breathe. I can see her on her lawn chair while we ate fresh green beans from grandpa’s garden and swung on the monkey swing. I can see her laughing while we played hide and seek in the yard dodging her hanging laundry on the line (and see her face when we knocked it down). I know she knows what I’m feeling because she had eight kids of her own. She knows the immense joy, the privilege and all the difficulties too. She was only able to meet two of my six and she couldn’t have seemed prouder. I want to live fully alive like she did and I have the opportunity to. My coffee is empty and I desperately need more so those are some of the circling thoughts in my heart. I’m so humbled by the transformative blessing God has provided for me in family. I cannot wait for more memories, more laughs, more connections, more struggles, more real life. This is it and I’m planning to live fully alive. Please ignore any spelling or grammatical errors or relay them to a Jessica Galvan.

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