John 3:16

I'm told that in the lives of the parents, the birth of a baby is a most wonderful event. As an uncle, I have not witnessed an actual birth take place but I have held and gazed upon two babes after their deliveries into the world. Yesterday, January 31, 2009, the newest edition to our family was born. Entering the hospital room where the young babe was birthed, I gathered beside the other family members and observed the baby girl swaddled in a hospital blanket. The babe was precious--the babe is precious. Her presence brought back distant memories from four years ago, when my first niece was born. Every feature of the babe's healthy little body was tiny. When it was my opportunity to hold her, I introduced myself to her and welcomed her into the world. Later, yesterday evening, the Bible verse from the gospel of John concerning everlasting life was on my mind. From time to time as adults, we forget how to live because we are fixed in certain routines of our daily existence. Not all people have the chance to hold a newborn in their arms, but having experienced this opportunity twice, I would add that the chance to hold a newborn is like pausing to smell the roses. Yes, whether we observe a newborn babe or stop to smell the roses, these experiences are the scent of everlasting life.