My sister Jeannene has a blog called Life Lessons from Jake. The day Kaycee was born, she posted this. I just thought it was too good to not share on my blog, and I wanted to have it in here for when we print the blog into a scrapbook. Enjoy!
My sister Ashley and her husband Jake did the most amazing thing. They had their first baby girl. Precious, tiny, but not without complications. And that's when I learned life lesson number 7- Jake is amazing.
The labor was quick. But seconds after the birth, a SWAT team of nurses and doctors showed up to take the baby away and make sure she was okay. And while I wasn't in the room to see this with my own eyes, my heart broke watching my sister recount the story. My big brother, my big strong tough brother, broke down and cried watching his infant daughter get checked out by doctors and nurses. I could almost end it there, and say that was life lesson #7. The tender love that jake had for his daughter, even though she was barely in this world, is by far the most miraculous and powerful love I've ever known, and someday hope to experience myself. But that isn't it. That doesn't summarize it well enough.
Although I was overcome with emotions, and seriously cried until I felt intense pain in my chest, my emotions weren't entirely wrought up because of my newborn niece. Yes, she wasn't doing as great as I had hoped, but I felt a sense of peace while I knelt in the hospital bathroom and plead with The Lord to be mindful of this little new life. And while my heart ached for my sister, who hadn't held her child for more than 30 seconds, I knew it would all be okay. No, the intense pain I felt in my chest was brought because of my nearly paralyzing love for my brother in law. I so desperately wanted to run to him, to tell him I loved him, to cry with him, and pray with him. And while jake and I are close, we aren't that close ;) so I stayed where I was, never going more than 2 minutes without looking at their first family photo, and praying for him to have immense strength and peace.
It was when I watched my brother in law walk out of the hospital, to take a minute to breathe, that I knew I hadn't been praying for him to have strength, but rather for me to. It was by watching him compose himself, and step up to the plate of being the shotgun-protecting father I always knew he was, that I realized jake was a true country boy. He was living his life by the "When the goin gets tough, you keep on goin." Motto. I am so proud of him and how well he handled himself and the situation today. I have never felt more love towards him than I did when I saw him hold his infant daughter. That's life lesson number 7- pure love. Unpredictable yet unchanging love. Christlike love.
I love jake, but I know that my love for him will never be as complete as the love he has today, for his wife and daughter. Most people would say, "good luck dad" to the new father. But not me. I know he's got all the luck on his side. In this situation, I say good luck to any boy chasing Kaycee. Her daddy is not going anywhere easily.
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