One of the first thoughts that came to mind when I learned of this pregnancy was of wardrobes—mine and the baby’s. I have never had a winter baby before so I had no winter maternity clothes, nor did I have winter baby clothes. We were in the midst of a career change that required a financial leap of faith and I could not prudently go out and buy a whole new maternity wardrobe. The last time I needed winter maternity clothes, when my second son was born seven springs ago, I borrowed what I needed from a friend who was just my size and a self-professed clothes horse. Her tastes were not quite mine, but I was clothed and that was all that was necessary. I remember thinking then that God always provides what we need.

My last baby was a little girl. I had lots a boy clothes for fall babies but nothing for a little girl. My sister-in-law has two girls. One day, just before I was due, when she came to watch my children while I took my youngest to the doctor, she transformed the closet designated for the new baby into a pink wonderland. She had bought fifty or so pink baby hangers and hung all her freshly washed hand-me-downs in the closet for me. To these clothes, she added the lovely things that had recently been given to me by my mother’s friends and a huge box of clothes donated to me by a friend of a friend whom I had never met. I remember thinking that God provided and His provisions were abundant, pink, and delicate.

This time, I learned I was pregnant the week my sister, Krysti, had a baby boy. My sister has incredibly good fashion sense and the means to carry out her vision. She told me not to buy a thing and proceeded to give me an entire maternity wardrobe that had never even seen a washing machine (she has all her clothes dry-cleaned). Krysti is taller than I am but she insisted I have everything altered to fit. She said she’d buy new things if she ever needed them again. God provided and He had impeccable taste.

When we discovered that this baby is a boy, I wondered how many of my baby boy things were still in one piece after three boys and numerous washings. I was dismayed to discover that many of them had yellowed in the four years since they last saw daylight. On the day my neighbors gave me a shower, Krysti appeared with two bags of tiny blue clothes. Some of them still had tags on them. "I over-bought," she said with a shrug and a smile. This child’s drawers are overflowing. God knows he will be warm and very cute.

At Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law discovered that she, too, is expecting a boy. Fortunately, her son will be born long enough after mine that I will be able to pass the newborn clothes to her.
Generosity is like that; it seems to spill until it overflows. God is smiling at the happy "coincidence" that all three of us—me, my sister, and my sister-in-law—had boys the same year.

When couples consider starting or adding to a family, they may have concerns about the money, or the time, or the energy required to bring up a child. I don’t think there is any couple who has ever had a baby where all those concerns were put to rest before conception. To cooperate with God’s plan always requires some leap of faith. I do know many couples who have put off welcoming a new life until those concerns are resolved. The concerns are never resolved. There is never enough money or time or energy by our standards and the opportunity to cooperate with God is lost.

At some point, with this pregnancy, I think we have worried about all three: money, time, and energy. But we took a leap of faith and we stepped aside to let God work some mighty miracles—from baby clothes to business deals to lifestyle changes. We took a leap of faith and God caught and is holding us tightly. It is a good time to have a baby. It always was.

Foss is a freelance writer from Northern Virginia.
 

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Copyright ©1999 Arlington Catholic Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

This article was published in the Arlington Catholic Herald,
200 N. Glebe Rd., Suite 607, Arlington, VA 22203; Vol. 24, No 5;
page 5, dated Feb 4, 1999.
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A note from the Web Master:

It is noteworthy and honorable that some folks are willing to stand up for a ban on Partial-Birth Abortion.  Let us not forget that ordinary everyday Abortion is also murder.  We must understand that murder is murder no matter the method.  Because one method of abortion seems to be horrible does not justify the other methods.  We should be horrified and sickened by any Abortion regardless of the method.  The Fifth Commandment spells it out clearly: "Thou shalt not kill."  A fetus is a person, a human being with a God given soul.  Imagine the pain the Lord must feel when any Abortion occurs.  Please contact both of your Senators and Representative, via letter or phone,  to let them know how horrified you are that Abortions are legal and to stop Partial-Birth Abortions and all other Abortions as soon as possible. (It has become apparent that they do not respond to email therefore you will have more of an impact by writing or telephoning.)

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