He has received thoughtful gifts and messages both funny and inappropriate. Perhaps the kindest gift arrived yesterday.
Will, one of his former players from Cushing, stopped by the house yesterday at lunch. HIs tall, lanky figure strolled into our home with two girls on his arms, his wife, Ashleigh, and his baby girl, Calleigh, The joys of being a coach's wife outnumber the demands by an onslaught and this is one of them. The players, the students come back and share with us their lives and in doing so, our lives are enriched. I have written about Will before - my favorite quarterback- who tips Mario the Sonic car hop generously when he has the opportunity. He is also the big brother to one of Taylor's earliest best friends - AnnaMarie. The girls were inseparable as third and fourth graders, and Will's family was always a welcome home to my raucous four. Every adventure Taylor had in Cushing included this beautiful brown-eyed sprite.
Will's visit with his family would have been enough. Watching the sweet, brown-eyed Calleigh explore the house in between sandwich bites reminded me of Anna Marie - both girls dainty and beautiful. The lunch he brought to share with us would have been thoughtful in and of itself, but he brought more than that. He brought us news that he and Ashleigh were expecting a second child, a daughter. They learned this happy news on November 20th with a due date of July 27th. The dining room began to swirl as I reached for Joey's hand. Babies are God's way of telling us he still has hope for us, that there is enough good in the world for us to keep seeking him and in doing so - be salt and / or light.
I think Joey and Wade and I just looked at our plates. What they told us next touched us deeply and honored us. The dates, Ashleigh said, just pointed the way to Sis, and she just felt God reminding her that his "grace is sufficient".
So with God's continued blessing -
Will, Ashleigh and Calleigh will welcome Taylor Grace Ahrberg into this world this summer.
Words on this screen which have often been how I crawl out of the hole grief has carved fail me tonight. I reread this post and think that I have fallen short of capturing the moment or my feelings.
Tay always celebrated her daddy so well. I guess she did again through the hearts of a family we hold very dear.