Looking Ahead While Looking Behind
Ava Camille Lamson was born at 11:30 pm on March 13. You might at first wonder if her name has anything to do with old movie stars like Ava Gardner or perhaps it's an old family name. If you had guessed either one of these, you would have been wrong. Ava is a variation of the name Eve which means life.
Ava's parents had 2 marvelous, complex, beautiful children. In addition to this girl and boy there were 2 children who never lived into the second trimester of their mother's pregnancy. Henry and Grace are the 2 oldest survivors and they always. leave visible reminders of their presence, legos, Marvel posters, and Thomas the tank engine train tracks. The two who did not make it left invisible scars on the couple who will never know what it would mean to parent these children. Jessica's first pregnancy produced a lively girl. The second pregnancy ended in tears and unanswered questions. Pregnancy number 3 produced a larger than life all boy bundle of energy and surprises. Number 4 lasted longer than baby 2 but this one also could not live into the second trimester, again sorrow and no answers. Pregnancy number 5 had its serious moments of uncertainty. As time passed with no more scares and the sex of the baby was known, the day came when they agreed on a name. Looking back on the pain of 2 miscarriages, Brian couldn't get past the name that meant life. For the third time God had allowed them to participate in creating sustainable life.
Ava,the baby whose name means life arrived in time to spend her first full day of life on the first anniversary of my mother's death. Such an anniversary can be a cause for much sorrow. On this occasion I got to hold my seventh grandchild. The sorrow of a death remembered was dwarfed by the joy of a birth treasured. Mother would have been pleased.
At 95 she was very accepting of death. For years a list of hoped for pallbearers lay on her desk as well as a list of out of towners who should be called at her death. She also had discussed with us what items each of her offspring might want at her death. For a good period of time during her last months a small devotional on heaven sat beside her chair. For years Mother had kept a collection of obituaries of friends and relatives now long gone.
She also took delight in each of her great grands. Even when no family member was expecting she was busy knitting hats for the newborns at the local hospital. My mother never gushed or oohed and aahed over children but it was obvious in a multitude of ways that she cared for them. After many years teaching my mother found her niche teaching kindergarten. When she retired from teaching, I remember her saying she would not teach kindergarteners again because teachers were no longer allowed to hug their students. She would shake her head and marvel at how anyone could teach that age without hugging the children.
The old and the young, births and deaths all were very much a part of the life of my mother. Holding great grands and attending funerals and visiting the ill were all natural events in her life. She would have loved to hold Ava and present her with a knitted hat and a matching blanket.
Eccl.3;1-2a
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven;
a time to be born and a time to die.
Ava's parents had 2 marvelous, complex, beautiful children. In addition to this girl and boy there were 2 children who never lived into the second trimester of their mother's pregnancy. Henry and Grace are the 2 oldest survivors and they always. leave visible reminders of their presence, legos, Marvel posters, and Thomas the tank engine train tracks. The two who did not make it left invisible scars on the couple who will never know what it would mean to parent these children. Jessica's first pregnancy produced a lively girl. The second pregnancy ended in tears and unanswered questions. Pregnancy number 3 produced a larger than life all boy bundle of energy and surprises. Number 4 lasted longer than baby 2 but this one also could not live into the second trimester, again sorrow and no answers. Pregnancy number 5 had its serious moments of uncertainty. As time passed with no more scares and the sex of the baby was known, the day came when they agreed on a name. Looking back on the pain of 2 miscarriages, Brian couldn't get past the name that meant life. For the third time God had allowed them to participate in creating sustainable life.
Ava,the baby whose name means life arrived in time to spend her first full day of life on the first anniversary of my mother's death. Such an anniversary can be a cause for much sorrow. On this occasion I got to hold my seventh grandchild. The sorrow of a death remembered was dwarfed by the joy of a birth treasured. Mother would have been pleased.
At 95 she was very accepting of death. For years a list of hoped for pallbearers lay on her desk as well as a list of out of towners who should be called at her death. She also had discussed with us what items each of her offspring might want at her death. For a good period of time during her last months a small devotional on heaven sat beside her chair. For years Mother had kept a collection of obituaries of friends and relatives now long gone.
She also took delight in each of her great grands. Even when no family member was expecting she was busy knitting hats for the newborns at the local hospital. My mother never gushed or oohed and aahed over children but it was obvious in a multitude of ways that she cared for them. After many years teaching my mother found her niche teaching kindergarten. When she retired from teaching, I remember her saying she would not teach kindergarteners again because teachers were no longer allowed to hug their students. She would shake her head and marvel at how anyone could teach that age without hugging the children.
The old and the young, births and deaths all were very much a part of the life of my mother. Holding great grands and attending funerals and visiting the ill were all natural events in her life. She would have loved to hold Ava and present her with a knitted hat and a matching blanket.
Eccl.3;1-2a
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven;
a time to be born and a time to die.
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