Beech Tree News Network

Our family has recently welcomed a new member. My great niece joined our family on January 29th. Yes, she is healthy, beautiful and well loved. It’s amazing how love of family can multiply!

Family – a group of persons related by descent or marriage – share a special bond. Some thoughts regarding family are listed below (http://www.great-inspirational-quotes.com/family-quotes.html; http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/birth_3.html):
•    You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. – Desmond Tutu
•    You don't have to give birth to someone to have a family. – Sandra Bullock
•    The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family. – Thomas Jefferson
•    The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works is the family. – Lee Iacocca
•    Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family. – Anthony Brandt

In an April, 2015, article (http://www.babycenter.com/0_surprising-facts-about-birth-in-the-united-s...), several U.S. birth facts were provided. Some of those included the following:
•    Over the last three decades, women have been waiting longer to have children. In 1970 the average age of a first-time mother was 21.4. In 2013 the average age was 26.
•    With about 1,049 male babies born for every 1,000 female babies born in 2013, boys are keeping the edge in a ratio that's stayed about the same over the past 60 years.
•    The United States remains the third most populous country in the world (after China and India).

The additional of a child or children changes the family in various ways. I still recall some of the changes (even though it’s been awhile) following the births of my children. To find out how others viewed the addition of children to the family unit, I asked friends and family this question: “Looking back, what surprised you about adding a child or children to your family?” Their responses are below:
•    I’ve never slept the same since having kids. Hard to explain, but true nonetheless.
•    I didn’t know I could love that much, and I don’t think I knew what “tired” really was before her.
•    How much our lives changed and how everything became about her (and still is)!
•    That I could love the second one as much as I do the first one.
•    How much money they cost and how much you worry about them!
•    How your priorities change, how you worry, how your personality evolves (I used to love driving fast, but not now – if she is with me.), how much you can love another person, and how you appreciate your own parents.
•    What surprised me the most was the amount of love that I felt for them. I knew I would love my baby, but I had just never experienced the kind of love that a mommy has for her child. It is an overwhelming feeling. I am still in awe of my children every day, and I give God the praise for the amazing individuals that they are.

Psalm 127:3 says, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.” Clearly, God values children. And, I am thankful for the safe arrival and health of our newest family member.