Children are a blessing

One day I read that God gave Job three of the loveliest daughters in the land and I felt sure that God was going to do that for me. Well it just so happened that I ended up with three girls and they are all very beautiful to look at and have the most empathetic and tender hearts. I prayed that they would be beautiful in the land of God's kingdom too. Family photos

Even before my children were born I was praying for them and for each one I asked specific attributes from God - wisdom, beauty, intelligence and as each one came along their names had special meaning for me. The first one was conceived on Christmas day - a Christmas gift earnestly prayed for following the first of 7 miscarriages. God protected her when I fell carrying her so her names are Natalie Hazel. I knew she was a girl and decorated the bassinet suitably to reflect this knowledge (I did not need to change the colour!).

For the second baby I had no girl name as Peter and I had disagreed on the name. We both liked different names based on Rose. On the day she was born, the song "Thank you for your gift of love", kept coming into my mind and when I looked in the name book and saw "Aimee" and that it meant "Beloved" I chose that but didn't tell my husband. When he looked in the book he said, "I like Aimee", and so it was. Aimee, Kristin, beloved messenger of Christ and a blessing to the world. She was a miracle, as the doctors thought that I would never have any more children. I was glad that I had hoped in God and hadn't allow my womb to be removed.

One day as we were taking the children for a stroll along the beach front and eating ice creams, the Holy Spirit popped the name Roseanne into my mind. I told Peter and he said "Yes that's it". We had not thought of it before, but both liked it. Very soon after I was pregnant with our third baby. I thought she would be a boy, even when God had pointed out a shop for me to go into and buy babies clothing. I had said to Him "But Lord, it's all girl clothing in here and I am having a boy"! Someone had even given me a bible verse about a son! Before she had been born I had felt that even though I loved roses so much, my husband hardly ever bought me any. I chose Fleur for her second name as I felt that she was like a lovely and gracious gift. For her dedication God gave me the words " precious, select arrow in God's quiver" (Isaiah 49:2). I didn't realize at the time that she completed my quiver of "arrows".

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