FOREVER ROSIE

April 4, 2025

Coffee With Jesus

Good Morning Lord.

“This is the day that the Lord has made.

I will rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24)

So sang the birds, praising you, Lord, as I rose at dawn. How sweet the arias mingled as nature’s choir sang to coax the sun to rise. At the conclusion of their part in the morning cantata the Canada Geese took the stage with their brassy fanfare as they flew over the rooftop to land in the pond behind our apartment building. A serene quiet took over as I opened my heart in to worship You, the Great Creator of birds and babies. You wave your hand and the winds rise to lift them in their flight. You breathe life into babies with their first cry.

I am filled with joy and gratitude this morning. Today marks the day, sixteen years ago, that our first grandchild was born. As the season was changing from winter to spring, so began the change of the seasons of my life. I began transitioning from Mother to Crone. Ashlyn Rose arrived between the blizzards and floods that frequently mark the arrival of spring in the Red River Valley.. We were fortunate enough to have favorable weather and driving conditions to arrive at the hospital to await her birth and to hold her for the first time.. After a brief visit with her and her parents, we had to leave to make the 4 hour drive home. Tom needed to lead worship at both of his congregations the next morning.

Ashlyn will be forever my “Rosie”. Before my son revealed her gender or name I had a dream that this child would be a girl; her name would be Rose. I didn’t tell that to anyone about that until later, but from that moment on in my heart she became “Rosie". I prayed for the healthy development and arrival of little Rosie along with special prayers for her mother’s good health.

She was a beautiful baby, now grown into a  beautiful young woman, of good character, strong, kind, creative, smart and funny. She continues to be a joy and a blessing to all of us who know and love her. I’ve cherished every moment I’ve spent with her these past 16 years.From that first time I held her in the hospital and up to now on her 16th birthday today where I can communicate with her instantly with a text message as I did early this morning. I hope to live long enough to see this beautiful maiden become a mother herself if she choses that path.

Thank you Lord, for the gifts you have given us through her parents, John and Angie. It is my prayer that  Ashlyn Rose, my "forever Rosie", may grow as a woman of strong faith. I pray that she may know you intimately so that her joy in life may be complete in the knowledge that she is seen, chosen, cherished and loved beyond all earthly measure..