2021 Advent Devotions
Wednesday, December 8 - Bonnie Distad
2 Timothy 1:4 “Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.”
On New Year’s Eve, Dec. 30, 1970, Washington D.C. was blasted with a vicious snow storm. Being 8 1/2 months pregnant (or so I thought) with our first child, we decided to celebrate at home. We had done all the preparations for a newborn like painting, putting up the crib and taking Lamaze classes. I had longed for the pregnancy and being heavy and awkward at this stage, longed for it to be over.
Usually, New Year’s Eve Day was spent watching the Rose Bowl parade, taking down the Christmas tree and football. Not this year. I awoke to discomfort around 5 am and went to polish my work shoes as I intended to return to work for a short while until my due date, 1/15/71.
The contractions became hard to ignore and I woke my husband, asking him to call the doctor. He dressed and went to shovel over a foot of snow off the walk and car. The contractions came closer and more intense and I rapped on the storm door to tell him to call the doctor back and an ambulance. Instead of meeting us at Washington Hospital Center usually about 40 minute across town, the doctor would meet us at Holy Cross Hospital about 15 minutes on a good day. The first ambulance came but wouldn’t go to Holy Cross. My contractions were about five minutes apart and I could hardly talk before another one hit. A second ambulance came and we slid into a snow bank on the way to the hospital. When we arrived, I was whisked into labor and delivery. In less than an hour a 9 lbs. 6 1/2 oz. baby girl was born. There were tears of joy and thanksgiving as her umbilical cord had been wrapped around her neck. I had longed to see her face and we were indeed filled with tears of joy.
As this Christmas draws near and we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord, I am filled with gratitude and a faith that my God has always been watching over me. May you feel that in your life as well.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, prepare our hearts to receive your gift of joy with gratitude. Amen.
2 Timothy 1:4 “Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.”
On New Year’s Eve, Dec. 30, 1970, Washington D.C. was blasted with a vicious snow storm. Being 8 1/2 months pregnant (or so I thought) with our first child, we decided to celebrate at home. We had done all the preparations for a newborn like painting, putting up the crib and taking Lamaze classes. I had longed for the pregnancy and being heavy and awkward at this stage, longed for it to be over.
Usually, New Year’s Eve Day was spent watching the Rose Bowl parade, taking down the Christmas tree and football. Not this year. I awoke to discomfort around 5 am and went to polish my work shoes as I intended to return to work for a short while until my due date, 1/15/71.
The contractions became hard to ignore and I woke my husband, asking him to call the doctor. He dressed and went to shovel over a foot of snow off the walk and car. The contractions came closer and more intense and I rapped on the storm door to tell him to call the doctor back and an ambulance. Instead of meeting us at Washington Hospital Center usually about 40 minute across town, the doctor would meet us at Holy Cross Hospital about 15 minutes on a good day. The first ambulance came but wouldn’t go to Holy Cross. My contractions were about five minutes apart and I could hardly talk before another one hit. A second ambulance came and we slid into a snow bank on the way to the hospital. When we arrived, I was whisked into labor and delivery. In less than an hour a 9 lbs. 6 1/2 oz. baby girl was born. There were tears of joy and thanksgiving as her umbilical cord had been wrapped around her neck. I had longed to see her face and we were indeed filled with tears of joy.
As this Christmas draws near and we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord, I am filled with gratitude and a faith that my God has always been watching over me. May you feel that in your life as well.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, prepare our hearts to receive your gift of joy with gratitude. Amen.