HIS BLOOD
SKU: 011

We have four children, all teenagers and older now. But I remember, clearly, what bringing them into this world felt like.

First off, I was a ten-month carrier. Genetically, full-length pregnancy for us was a minimum of four weeks longer than "normal". My friends had their babies to dress and snuggle, and STILL I was huge and pregnant ... it was not even funny. Two were October babies, and in Oregon that means late HOT summers, then rain, rain, and more rain.

I was also genetically inclined to 'big' babies - all four of ours were well over 10 pounds each. Major ouch. And as enormously unfair as all this was, every one of our labors were extremely lengthy, and back labor to boot. I was not a happy camper.

But even knowing all that - still - I would not, then OR now, take back, trade in, or in any way change the way things were, if it meant I would not have one of my children to hold in my arms. IT WAS WORTH IT: the pain, the weariness, the oh-so-hard work and seemingly endless blind, stubborn-patience endurance of it all ... worth every moment of it, for the joy set before me at the end.

I wonder if it was anything like that for Jesus ...