Psalm 72:1-8
Jeremiah 31:10-14
2 Peter 1:3-11
Matthew 5:3-16
Children and grandchildren are a blessing that is not granted to all in this life. Carolyn and I were blessed with two wonderful sons, five years apart, who married equally wonderful women.
Peter, our eldest, married first. He and his wife loved the exciting lifestyle, challenging jobs, great restaurants, art, and theater that came from living in Brooklyn, NY. We wondered for years if they would start a family as there was never talk of it. Rebuffed years earlier when I asked if he and Cary were going to get married, he answered politely, “Dad, it really isn’t any of your business.” I was not going to repeat the same mistake this time. We began to accept that Peter and Cary might not have children.
Jeremy, our youngest, married Claire, his soul mate. They were excited to start a family, but the pregnancy ended with a difficult miscarriage. Family members who had suffered the same disappointment were afraid to try again. We faced the possibility that there would be no grandchildren. In life there are worse things to contemplate, but we felt that both couples would be superb parents; it was hard not to feel sad. We prayed they would be blessed with children. If not, we prayed they could accept that with God’s help.
Our prayers were heard. Jeremy and Claire were rewarded with a little girl, Zoe, and eight years later with a little boy, Silas. Peter and Cary surprised us after seven years with a little boy, Giles.
Surely, God has blessed our family.

– Mike Becraft