A Surprise Baby For Dan's 30th!

I can't write about Dan's 30th without writing about " her". The two day baby girl who showed up on Thanksgiving Day and needed us to be her arms of safety.  We even got to name her!  
Dan's 30th birthday as I have been praying for was most certainly monuments because of her and  has most literally changed both of our lives. 
For months, I have been scheming special ways and details to make his 30th memorable and almost all of my plans changed or fell through. Yet Father God took each one of those silly things including my own heart and shaped them according to his better plan. As we sat down for our Thanksgiving feast on Friday, the police station called for Baby Safe to fetch an abandoned child who they deemed no more that a week old...
  we determined much less,  because  her umbilical cord was still in tact and sleeping non stop, our  little treasure was surely less.

So where do I go from here in retelling such God filled details of our last few days?

How can I begin to process what has just happened to us and our hearts?

I chose the name " " as it came clearly and sweetly to my mind in the way that only 'God- thoughts' do. I didn't understand at first why of all names that name rang so clearly and  difinitively in my mind but I do know this: I didn't question it. As quickly as it came, it stuck. As I prayed over her later that night, I asked the Lord why ' " this name"?'

 He replied to me, " " { of the bible} lost her own flesh and blood, and I gave her kin that CHOSE her."

Ruth CHOSE Naomi when Naomi's sons and husband died. Ruth, with firm resolve dedicated her life, love and devotion to belong to Naomi even though they had no blood ties. 

This too is the word of the Lord spoken over this baby's destiny 'Family that will CHOOSE her'.
Rae, the middle name I chose for her means 'wise protection.' I didn't discover this until I looked up the meaning the next day.

Proud 'Parents' that we were, we toted our new bundle with us the entire day from morning until evening to malls, markets, messages, breakfast and to a downtown dinner table of 15. Although our natural energy was coming up empty from the sleepless night before, the gift to us "on loan" melted away all ordinary response to tiredness and filled us with a sort of magic that made our lives feel brand new. Even the many roadblocks thrown at us during the didn't cause us to stumble; somehow our patience, flexibility and enjoyment increased to supernatural levels. It fit well to have her with us. We could not diminish the amazement, gratitude and wonder that filled our hearts to love, hold, feed and nurture and spend time with her.

'Parting is such sweet sorrow' Shakespere writes.

It has never been truer. 

 I'm having to remind myself 3 times a day that she never belonged to us. 

I have to speak out loud the truths to Dan that my mind does not believe until I say them.

" I am not the only person in the world who can love her or take care of her. God has chosen and prepared someone else" 
I say to him what he already knows.

We have beautiful pictures of her face. But I'm unsure if I should share them. simply because  we don't want to exploit her in any way. 

I'm thankful, there is nothing more meaningful than this to either  Dan and I as we talk about his birthday.

We will always remember his 30th year with Naomi as the centerpiece and how God is using her to take us forward.

baby girl in the brown flower 'hammock'