And Then There Were Three...

I will admit that keeping a secret is a challenge for me. When happy news comes my way, I will admit I am a known blurter...(I recognize that is not a word acknowledged by the dictionary but indulge me, if you will). So when Kirk's daughter Miranda and her husband Nathan shared the results of their home pregnancy test, it was all I could do not to stand on the street with a bull-horn. To say I am thrilled by this news would be an understatement - I can not imagine two gentler, kinder people to welcome a new life - the kind of people you want to be when you grow up - beautiful, smart, giving and filled with compassion in a way that seeps into your skin and with a depth of empathy that is like a warm blanket that covers your scarred heart. But it is so much more than who they are - it is a symbol of the commitment they have made to each other and to the kind of life they have chosen to live - of sharing the strength of the love they have with another - of their faith in the world and the knowledge that they have the power to build a safe place for another life to thrive - seeing what they have seen, knowing what they know - their eyes are wide but their hearts are so much bigger - so much stronger than they know. We have been fortunate to welcome two other wee ones into our lives. Kirk's son Aaron and his partner Shannon have two little boys who are fixtures in our hearts as immovable as mountains and as precious as the stars. To imagine another small person joining our family makes me happier than I can adequately express - and it is hard for me not to leap forward in time and impose my version of what this life will be - my hopes and dreams and fears - all rolled into a corner of my mind...taking the space where reality will take shape in the months to come. For now, I just savour their excitement - their overwhelming joy - and feel my heart grow.