Welcoming words for unborn children

CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON

“We have been in God’s thought from all eternity, and in His creative

love, His attention never leaves us.”

-- Michael Quoist

“Making the decision to have a child -- it’s momentous. It is to

decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your

body.”

-- Elizabeth Stone

I grew up believing in God, though I never fully grasped the idea

that he wanted a personal relationship with me until I was in high

school. I also grew up loving children, and looked forward to having

some of my own one day.

I recently found a letter I wrote on July 16, 1973. I wrote it before I met my husband Jon, but obviously I’d thought a lot about

God, marriage and family and needed to write about it. It was

interesting to read again, especially since our oldest daughter Kelly

and her husband Ryan are soon to have their first child. Following is

most of the letter:

“Dear Children, It seems odd to write to you, not even knowing if

I ever will have children, and marriage seems so far off in the

distance.

“Lately I’ve come to recognize the beautiful loving powers within

a family, something I never used to think that much about. I just

accepted everything -- my mom and dad bending over backward to raise

me right -- as commonplace. How often I dreaded homework and hated

going to the doctors. How often I complained and how often my parents

tried to comfort me.

“No matter how badly I behaved, they still loved me and I always

had the security of a warm house and food on the table. How blind I

was, but my eyes are opening more all the time. The admiration and

love for all my family is tremendous and grows as I do.

“I don’t have all the answers, but I pray that you too will come

to believe in God, because He does have all the answers. He’s

teaching me to love others better and the feeling is fantastic!

“I can tell you now that I will do anything for you, as I know my

parents would do, and have done, for me. I’m not asking any favors, I

just want you to know that you if you read this, you have been gifted

with life, and I’d like you to live it to your fullest exuberance

imaginable. And that is by living for God.

“I accept all of your growth. I know we’ll have problems; I did

growing up too, but God makes everything worthwhile. My parents and

family are behind me, and I’ll be behind you, and I have so much I

want to share with you. With God in your life, it’s the most exciting

and gratifying life there is.

“I can’t write everything here, it’s taken me seventeen years so

far to figure some of this out, and I look forward to many more

years, many of which I hope to share with you, and you with me. God

bless you, He did with giving you life. Please realize this. Love,

Cindy”

How incredible it is that all of us, including Kelly and Ryan’s

unborn baby, have been in God’s thought and love from all eternity.

God has already blessed you with amazing parents, little one, and it

will be exciting to watch his plans for you unfold. We can’t wait to

meet you!

And you can quote me on that.

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at

cindy@onthegrow.com or through the mail at 537 Newport Center Drive,

Suite 505, Newport Beach, CA 92660.