Bambinos A-Plenty

There may be some truth to the phrase "it's in the water" when it comes to describing the phase in your life when so many people around you synchronize their reproductive systems and decide to have babies at the same time. I'm abstaining from water these days - please don't read into this and send Kevin your condolences. I'm literally only drinking bottled water and keeping away from neighboring water sources. No lie, for the next 6 to 9 months, I will be kissing and holding about seven babies from seven different friends/relatives. It's beautiful, really. Each so different, but all have 10 toes and 10 fingers and the cutest lips and chubby cheeks. Different skin colors and amounts of hair, but all will make gurgly noises and have that sweet bambino scent (prior to diaper messes, of course).

Babies don't scare me. I love babies, actually. Especially in the winter, when their warm bodies radiate all that heat that cold-natured people like me love to soak up. I faithfully crochet little hats and scarves or sweaters and baby afghans. And I lovingly count each stitch and pick out yarns that are soft and cuddly. It takes me forever and sometimes the handmade gifts don't arrive until the child has graduated from high school. But I try.

The newest addition to the Tirado family was born on September 11th and I can't wait to meet her and see the rest of my family. I hear my mom gush about how beautiful she is and what a proud big brother my 2-year old nephew has become, and already I feel the tug at my heart. These little creatures have tremendous power over me.

Kevin and I are seriously considering adding on in the distant-near future. I'm not talking about our house remodeling project, either. I can hear the gasps and see the stunned faces. Yes, we've talked about it and continue to talk about it. To me, being a parent is such an awesome responsibility and not everyone is equipped for the lifelong task. I see my husband interact with children and I think it would be great to let him try out his Donald Duck voice with one of his own. The decision is so scary, though- we both have a lot of baggage and bad habits that we need to rid ourselves of. Throw in the mix all the genes from generations past, society, environment, a 13.5 year-old marriage, independence, stubbornness, afternoon naps, little purses, too many shoes, frivolous spending, a convertible car - and I have created an environment where a normal child cannot be brought into. Yet, it's the spiritual factor that has convinced me that it can be done. If it weren't for God's grace, there would not be a happy child living in this world. That's the only way I can look at it without running away from the thought of having children. As long as God is the central focus of this home, all members present and future, will fall under the umbrella of His love and it will be all right.

Life full of bug splatter

Smack...Splatter...Splat... I hadn't seen so many bugs on the front bumper of my car since my first experience with the love bug epidemic that hits Florida every year. Don't ever travel far and fast with a white car - it's nearly impossible to wash all the dead bugs off. I hand-washed my new white car with a rag and mild soap, attempting to recover the front end from the insect cemetery it had become. Kevin and I have just returned from a 2500-mile excursion through the northeast. Along the way, we managed to collect every species of insect imaginable. My car became an entomologist’s laboratory, a morbid collection of grayish matter and paper-thin wings. With my nose wrinkled and some warm sudsy water, I patiently scrubbed most of the bug particles from the front bumper, the hood, the windshield, and the side mirrors of my car.

I had been fussing under my breath, not enjoying my task, when a thought popped in my head. During my younger years, I had traveled on the fast lane, careening through life at high speeds, oblivious to the small obstacles that collided and splattered, leaving little marks here and there. It’s nothing, insignificant, that’s not going to matter later, or so I reasoned with the bad choices I made. But when life came to a standstill and I was left to assess the reason for my existence, the outcome from my collection of mistakes was disturbing. The worst damage was mental and emotional, not so much physical. I turned to God, the "Ultimate Carwash”, and He sat there, with a rag soaked in His blood, and lovingly washed away the debris from the mess I called my life. Not everything is back to being brand-spanking new, fresh from the factory, new-car-smell-kind of good. There are consequences to certain actions that we will always have to deal with. The good news is that God is here to help us deal with the consequences – and He empowers us with what I call measures: measures of faith, of love, of strength, of power – fueled by His Word through prayer, study, and daily communication.

I fall short so many times, running on empty, knowing what I have to do, how I need to connect, but being blatantly stubborn and lazy. Yet through simple tasks such as washing my car, God still tries to reach me, telling me how He has saved me and that He wants to empower me to live my life to the fullest.