Madly In Love

Today is my niece's 4th birthday. 

We had moved back to Texas from England just 4 months prior to her birth.

We all were at the hospital with my brother and sister-in-law (along with many other folks) to support them and welcome this precious new life into our family and our hearts.

After a difficult labor, my sister-in-law ended up having to have an emergency Cesarean birth and our anxious family all sat outside the operating area's double doors waiting for news.  We heard a thud (and truly believed that my squeamish brother had fainted, he hadn't...at least he said that he hadn't...) then a cry. 

A really loud cry. 

A few minutes later, my very proud little brother-who-insisted-that-he-hadn't-fainted, carried out a tiny bundle for us all to coo over.

For seven years, Diva had been the only grandchild on my side of the family.  We had no idea what her reaction would be to a baby cousin. 

Would she be jealous?  Would she act out?  Would she ignore the baby altogether?

What we never expected was her actual reaction.

She burst into tears as soon as she saw the baby. 

Sobs.  Uncontrollable sobs. 

My brother, whom Diva thinks hung the moon, held the baby down for her to see and the baby opened her eyes and looked at Diva.  More sobs.

She sobbed as the whole entourage followed my brother to the nursery where the baby would be weighed and measured. 

When asked why she was crying, Diva blurted out, "They are tears of joy!"

Then there were more tears, and not just from Diva. 

What a whole-hearted and precious demonstration of complete and utter love for a person that she had just met, that had just come into being. 

I can imagine heaven being like that when a new soul comes to Christ - an overwhelming flood of emotion for a new person, or rather, a person anew.

Happy birthday Katy-Loo and 1-4-3 to both you and DM!

Oh, and by the way, these two even though they are 7 years apart, are thick as thieves and have an incredible bond.  Diva thinks it's because the baby looked at her first.  ;)