the Miracle of our Maddie love

*This post contains photos of unreasonably adorable proportions. In other words, Happy Tuesday!

Today I woke up at 6:00 AM and couldn’t go back to sleep.  It was like Christmas morning, but it was Spring and warm and perfect outside.  And the birth I awoke so uncharacteristically early for had not yet occurred.  But my heart was eager with anticipation, and sleep was to be spurned in favor of Mass for the soon-to-be birthday girl and her Momma.  

I was all a twitter, hovering over my phone like a bee over a buttercup, waiting for it to alight and announce that the first breath of my newest niece had finally been taken. And of course, I could hardly wait much longer for the unveiling of the highly guarded (and thus even more coveted) name for little girl.  To finally know what sweet name would be on the lips of all who would rejoice at her long awaited birth and would be attached to our “happy birthdays” on April 17th for all the years hence forth was enough to distract me completely for the entire first half of the day. 
And then it finally happened.  What I had been anxiously waiting for all day, and excitedly dreaming about with Lianna and our family all these months, finally came true.  At 12:50PM on April 17th, 2012 Anno Domini, Madeline Cecilia McCabe came out of the cozy darkness and comfort of her mama’s womb and breathed her first.  

And I exhaled the anxiousness of not knowing the when or the who of this mystery, and looked forward with great joy to meeting the girl whom only our Beloved Creator has truly known thus far.  

He is now sharing her with us, and I am unable to grasp this gift.  It slips through my fingers, and seeps through the cracks like sand no matter how hard I try to grip it. 

little blonde angel fluff

And the answer is, I’ll never understand.   Just as there are some sufferings in this life that I will not comprehend due to my very small human range of vision, so there is beauty so real, and gifts so gratuitous, that I cannot hope to fathom how it could be. 

Who is this God we are created, sustained, and infinitely Loved and cherished by?  He is the Creator of immortal souls whom He calls into being out of nothing.  

He allows His own creatures to participate in the absolute miracle of this creation.  And He allows the family and friends of these humans to also receive so much joy for the creation of these immortal souls.  

And I got to watch Lianna grow this infinitely Loved immortal soul in her womb from start to finish.  

Unseen by all but God.  And we got to dream about her all those months, and have the sweet pleasure of wondering what she would look like, knowing all along it’s one of the sweetest delights and treats of life to be surprised on her birthday, because we couldn’t ever imagine her as beautiful as God actually made her to be.  

Our imaginations and dreams are never as big and beautiful and perfect for us as God’s are.  And though He gives us a place in bringing new souls into being, He dreams the rest up for us, for His dreams are always the best.  

Madeline Cecilia McCabe, now becoming known as our sweet little Maddie, is less than one-day-old proof of that.  

Welcome to life, Maddie.  We love you forever, and Jesus made you for Love and Life and Beauty and Joy unfathomable.  We are so so happy He created you to be a part of our family.

Thank you, Lianna and Ed, for sharing your new bundle of joy, fresh from Heaven.  You are wonderful parents, and she and her big sister are so blessed to have you.  

Many thanks to all those who prayed for the McCabes.  He answered all of our prayers more Beautifully and Lovingly than any of us with ever be able to realize while still on this earth.  

That little baby Madeline foot says it all. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!