Celebration
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Jun 16, 2011
Last weekend I had the privilege and fun of hosting a baby shower. It's been awhile since I've hosted one, but this shower was particularly special.My friend has been experiencing infertility for the last three years. She has a physiological reason for her infertility and the likelihood of her conceiving without medical help was seemingly impossible. For the last three years she has endured not only infertility treatments - drugs, surgery, scans, blood tests and a complete loss of privacy - she has also experienced pregnancy loss four times. My heart has ached for my friend as we've prayed, cried, grieved and walked together. She has invited me into those inner recesses of her heart which I count a privilege. She's taught me so much about compassion and care for those in need or hurting.
So, this shower was super special because miraculously (and there is no other explanation) she conceived last year without medical intervention. This was a hope we'd all had, but in all honesty would never have imagined. So, in three weeks she is expecting her little boy!!! AMAZING!!!!
One thing I've learned in life is that celebration is one of the ways that we can not only enjoy those moments of excitement or joy, but also a way to thank God for His provision in our lives. Whether the event is small or big, celebrating those things along the way helps keep our focus on the One who has above all - good or hard. So....we celebrated this special baby.
My friend, K and I decided that we had to make this the party of the year. S deserves it!!! It was weeks in the planning, invitations were sent out super early so that people could get it into their diaries and K & I worked our little butts off to make sure it was the best party ever.
We went with a colour scheme of blue and green - bright aqua blues and greens. So pretty!! We got my mom to send stuff from the USA, we designed a table layout that would have done Amy Atlas proud (check out her website - so gourmet to quote K), we cooked, we baked, we printed, we gathered, we shopped, we picked green and blue candies out of the bulk bins, we cleaned, we rearranged and had a blast. Here's a couple of pics of what we did.
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| I made the cake. It turned out so good! |
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| Here's our cool table design!! The jars have candy in them. |
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| Some of the decorations we had. |
So, even if celebration doesn't come naturally to you....celebrate...the small things, the big things, the hard things and the fun things. It's all about "rejoicing in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice"!!! edit
