The Greatest Gift

This Friday, two of my very best friends were blessed with the greatest gift they could give each other.  Gianna Melosi McDonald was born Friday afternoon to Steven and Adria McDonald and to fervent facebook fanfare.  Those of us who could not be there to support them were glued to our various internet access points, eager for more news, pictures, or information.  Periodic text messages kept us on our toes and holding our breath.  Finally, the excited tension was relieved when the announcement was made that she had been born.

Pictures soon followed, and facebook chatter increased.  Loving comments came from every corner of the globe, uniting family and friends in a global network of celebration.  The smiling faces of the proud parents cuddled against their early Christmas present, tired ecstasy etched on their features.  They glowed with the joy of parenthood.

What I find so amazing about the birth of a child - any child - is the amazing potential surrounding that little person.  They enter the world crying and squalling, evicted from their comfortable surroundings.  Eagerly, they seek comfort and we are there to give it.  Their lives are a clean slate - nothing is determined, nothing is impossible.  

From the moment a new parent first holds their newborn, the gift giving commences.  The relationship between parent and child is constructed of a constant parade of gifts.  As the child gives experiences, love, and joy to the parents, so to do they give.  Their gifts help to define who their child will be.  

I know Steve and Adria will make awesome parents to their little girl.  She is so lucky to have been born to such great people.  Amazingly, Steve and Adria now have the power to influence the universe through Gianna.  The gifts they bring her daily have the power to develop Gianna into a powerful human being.  She will mold the universe around her as she grows.

Gianna does not benefit alone.  For Steve and Adria, their little girl will be a source of love and joy.  Every moment of her life will be a celebration of their love.  Gianna will bless them with every action, every breath.  I can’t help but smile at the thought the three of them together.  How powerful can their love for each other be if it reaches me, half a country away.

The gift the McDonald family received this Christmas is far greater than anything anyone could have given them.  This life is more precious, more significant than anything they have ever received.  Christmas came early this year for the McDonald family.