My Nephew

Henry Wesley Wells was born September 22, 2008 at 8:31 PM. He weighs 7 pounds on the dot and is 20 inches long.

I sped the entire way to the house, and upon finding no parking near by, had to park a block away. I ran the rest of the way. I found Aaron, mom, Kate, and Liz in the living room, standing in a circle. I knew my little nephew was among them, and they moved aside to let me see him.

Henry is the first baby born into my family since my brother George was born 11 years ago. I remember when Robert was born. I was 3 at the time. I remember when George was born. I was 7. I can't picture them perfectly in my memories, but I will never as long as I live forget the night I met little Henry. He is the mirror image of his father, from his eyes to his chin to his nose. ... especially his nose. His tiny hand wrapped around my finger, his eyes opening and shutting, getting used to the light. I held him carefully in my arms, and looked at his beautiful face.

He is the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen in my entire life.

My family has been waiting for Henry for nine months. But I have been waiting for him for eleven years. I watched Aaron introduce himself to Emily eleven years ago, and something just clicked inside me, and I knew that Aaron was perfect for Emily. I wanted him to marry her ever since that day. I hoped throughout their high school years. I hoped when he came to NSA and was in the same classes as she was. I hoped for it even when he moved to Nevada after graduation and we didn't see him again for a year. I hoped when we saw him again the following summer. Three days before he wrote to my dad and asked permission to court her, I was talking to her in her room, and I remember telling her when she confided in me that she thought he would never ask to court her that I knew that he would. I really was certain, although I didn't know what made me say it aloud. I had no way of knowing that Aaron would write three days later. I just knew that Aaron was the one for her. They got married last December, and exactly a year after the day Aaron asked to court her, they found out she was pregnant. Henry was finally on his way. I've waited for him for so long.

And I began crying.

There I stood, holding this beautiful little boy in my arms, just sobbing and feeling so overwhelmed by God's blessings that it was almost unbearable. Mom started crying too just watching me, and I felt stupid for having caused more tears. But these tears were tears of joy.

My grandmother is now a great grandmother. My mother is now a grandmother. My sister is a mother. And I am an aunt. We all took on new roles this night. Tonight our lives changed forever.

Driving home later, I sat in the backseat and looked out the window at the stars. The Pleides caught me eye. What a perfect constellation they are. Like a cluster of crystals, or a dozen tiny snowflakes. What an amazing God we serve, I thought. He made the heavens. He created the stars and set the comet in orbit. He placed the constellations in the sky and made the earth to spin and the sun to appear to rise and set. He decrees what was, and is, and is to come. And He decreed that Henry Wesley Wells would be born this night into the Wells family, a blessing to all. The Lord, who made heaven and earth, made little Henry. He gave him life and health and beauty. He who made the stars to shine and planets to never waver in their orbit, he who has done all these incredible things, made Henry.

And little Henry is more beautiful to me than all of it put together.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.