When God Wants to Change the World, He Sends a Baby

I heard a story in church recently about a teen girl who had an unplanned pregnancy and thought the baby would ruin her life. When she told her grandma, a devout Catholic woman, about the pregnancy, she thought her grandma would be upset. But her grandma just said, “Whenever God wants to change the world, he sends a baby.”

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In that moment, the teenager knew she would keep her baby. And because she had that baby in her life to give structure and direction, she went on to do some big things. She worked hard. She became a nurse and a doctor and a college professor. She gave birth to another child and adopted several more “drug babies” who were especially needy. All because her grandma spoke a word in season.

Annalise continues to change our lives for the better. She loves her Grandma Dorothy. On days when she doesn’t spend as much time at Grandma’s, Grandma always comments how she misses her. And Grandpa Jonas talks to her and takes an interest in her that he does towards few other people. Someone commented on my last post that they had learned at an Alzheimer’s convention that babies and animals can wake up a person’s mind. I think that is beautiful. “Want to come?” Grandpa Jonas asked her just this evening when I came in the door with Annalise in my arms. And so he held her for a bit.

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Annalise got to see another set of grandparents recently–her great grandparents Lewis and Wilma–when we traveled to Wisconsin the week before Thanksgiving for an early holiday trip. Annalise can be shy with strangers, but she took to Grandma Wilma right away. I really think it’s because my grandma’s gray hair and grandmotherly bearing reminded her of Grandma Dorothy.

It was so special for me to be able to celebrate an early Christmas with my family and to watch Annalise interact with my parents and brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews. She loved it all!

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She has moved through many firsts in the last several months and continues to do so. First time eating from a spoon, first time finding her toes, first tractor ride, first time sitting up, first gingerbread man.

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First time playing with a balloon. You can see her enthusiasm in this video. And the pretty young lady who’s playing with her is my brother Jeff’s fiancee, Jenni. We will soon take another quick trip to Wisconsin for a December wedding.

First book event. I could tell my mom was praying, because Annalise did very well. She is at times overwhelmed by strange places and new people, but she seemed to feel right at home at the Toad House and took right to several ladies who were giving her attention. Makes me wonder again if it was their soft grandma faces that made her feel at home.

First Thanksgiving. The five us had it together: Grandpa Jonas, Grandma Dorothy, Ivan, Annalise, and me. And yes, you can tell who was the center of attention.

I’m reading the devotional book The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and came across this poem recently. I think it describes well the special gift children have to give to the world.

The Little People


By John Greenleaf Whittier

A dreary place would be this earth,
Were there no little people in it;
The song of life would lose its mirth,
Were there no children to begin it. 

No little forms, like buds to grow,
And make the admiring heart surrender; 
No little hands on breast and brow,
To keep the thrilling love-chords tender.

The sterner souls would grow more stern,
Unfeeling nature more inhuman,
And man to stoic coldness turn, 
And woman would be less than woman.

Life’s song, indeed, would lose its charm,
Were there no babies to begin it; 
A doleful place this world would be,
Were there no little people in it. 

On another note, I was honored recently to contribute a post to Refresh Women’s Conference blog. If you haven’t seen or followed this blog, do so. The layout is beautiful and the words, from a variety of Anabaptist women, are meaningful and refreshing. My post is called “The Most Courageous Woman” and recalls a favorite moment with a dear friend.

I was also honored when my books were listed in a Christmas gift post by blogger and cookbook author Briana Thomas. She has a lovely list of ideas, and she’s doing a giveaway as well, so you should definitely visit her site.

This Sunday, December 12th, I will be doing an interview with Obi Martin of The Curator on my newly released memoir, Turtle Heart, and you are welcome to watch! The interview is one of The Curator’s Sunday afternoon lectures and takes place at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time via Zoom. (For those of you familiar with the Curator lectures, this is an hour later than their usual lecture time.) You can participate whether or not you have a Zoom account. Just stop by the Curator at 4:00 EST and follow the link on their Lectures page. Obi tells me he’ll be inviting audience questions as well, especially concerning advice on writing and publication.

That’s all for now! Wishing you a December filled with joy instead of stress. And if you don’t have a child in your immediate vicinity, find one to bless. There are lots of moms and dads who will be only too glad to have the richness you can bring to their child’s life. I know I am very thankful for my friends who take a special interest in Annalise.