My Life as a Grandma

I think it can't be avoided. There are going to be a lot more photos of Danny on my blog. I can't stop taking pictures of him!

This has been a fun Christmas! It is my first time in 31 years to celebrate Christmas in my own country. It has been a very special treat from the Lord.

I am soaking up memories of Danny to take back to Manila with me. His cute half-smile, his soft skin, his sweet smell, his little gurgles and coos . . . I will surely miss it.

It has also been a great time to be with Matt and his girlfriend, Adela.

I've enjoyed getting to know Jim's family better too. His parents and siblings are here too, and we have had so much fun together!

Our highlight was when all twelve of us went for a walk in the woods on Christmas day!

Daniel James Albright

He is here! Baby Daniel arrived this evening at 6:33 pm. Jim and Michelle are so excited and happy. Actually Michelle is mostly exhausted after a long day of labor, but still excited and happy too. Jim is a very proud dad. And Grandma is totally delighted! Join us in thanking God for this very precious gift.

Waiting in Texas

This is the part where we wait . . . and wait . . . and wait . . . I got here four days ago, eager to meet my grandson. All systems are go, it seems to us, but Baby Danny says it's not time yet. And so we wait. My feelings are jumbled these days, mostly because of jet lag. I am tired, but at the same time, so eager for the baby to come. I feel like the days are slipping away, and I will have to go back to the Philippines in January, so I want to spend as much time as possible WITH the baby, not WAITING for the baby. But I know that God knows what He is doing, so I am leaning on that.

I am grateful to God and to my colleagues at IGSL that I can be here. They are covering for me, handling my responsibilities while I am gone. I remember when my kids were born, how I longed for my mother to come and help me. I was not even that close to my mother, it's just a time in your life when you really need help! I have helped many IGSL mothers when they gave birth, far from their own mothers. So it's a very special privilege for me to be able to give my daughter the gift of my help at this time. God is gracious.

It's Almost Time

This is Michelle, our dear daughter, who lives with her husband in Texas. As you can see, they are going to be parents very soon! So, I am packing my bags now, and will be winging my way to Texas on Tuesday morning. I am so excited to spend time with them and to meet our first grandchild!

Our son Matthew will also join us in Texas for Christmas, while James holds down the fort in Manila. Since both of our kids, and our son-in-law too, grew up in the Philippines, they all have a taste for Filipino food. So usually, when I visit, my bags are filled with goodies for them. I have had fun grocery shopping this week. As I packed the extra-large suitcase, I had to laugh. The baggage handler at the airport is going to take a deep breath and lift my huge bag, and find that it weighs . . . not much. It is mostly filled with dried noodles, spice packets, and chips.

I hope that the customs agents will believe me when I tell them that I am a doting mama and not an importer for an Asian food store.

The Last Pakistani Fellowship

A year ago, I wrote about our little Pakistani Fellowship at IGSL. There are six adults in this group, and four of us are not from Pakistan. But we meet every month, eat Pakistani food, and pray for Pakistan. It has been such a rich time together and all of us look forward to it each month. It has made us alert as we listen to the news--now when we hear of a bombing or any other crisis, we think, "We have to pray for our Pakistan!"

The Pakistani family (Klamint to James' right, Romela to my right, and Sana on my lap) are about to graduate and move back home in a few weeks. They are our only Pakistani students, which is why the rest of us added ourselves to their group. So, last night we met and prayed for the last time. It was a bit tearful, but a precious time together--the end of another chapter. I'll miss these dear people . . . and I'll miss the biriyani too!