Mary is pregnant.

After the challenges of accepting her news and sharing the news with Joseph Mary is finally able to just absorb the fact that she is with child and with the support of Joseph will bring this child into the world.

I remember when my wife was pregnant with our little girl. It was an amazing time.I would often catch myself looking at my wife in awe. To know that another life was growing within her was hard to fathom at times. What an amazing miracle to behold.

There is a certain helplessness that i felt as well. Although I was in awe of what was happening I was also sometimes frustrated at that I could not do more to help. As beautiful as the creation of life is, it is not easy. So many times I wished i could just take the unborn baby for her so she could have a break. Especially closer to the due date.

So I just did what i could to support her and make her as comfortable as I could. Those moments were some of the greatets moments to treasure too. Although i could not take away much of her discomfort my efforts created an even greater bond between the two of us and without even being able to see our child yet we were already becoming parents.

I have to post a picture here of our little girl...as any parent will know...with all the ups and downs of creating a life and being a parent to see the smile of your child makes everything sooo worthwhile.

SEE THE FULL MURAL COMING TOGETHER HERE- http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

After hearing the news from Mary, Joseph was uncertain as to what he should do. It was at this point that the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him to not be afraid and reassured him that this was meant to be.
Many times in this world a child is conceived unplanned and to unmarried couples on top of everything else who are not even certain of what their relationship status is. I am certain that many men and women have lay in bed at night in deep thought pondering their situation for guidance.
So many thoughts can go through your head. You can spin in circles in your mind wondering about finances, your work, your ability to be a parent, how to share the news with others, how to prepare for possible problems that may arise with the child, will it be healthy...
We all pray for that angel to come to us and give us that guidance and reassurance.

When my wife told me that we were to have a child, neither one of us were prepared. Our angels were each other. We shared our love for each other and our love for the road we were about to travel down together. We reached out to our friends and family and more angels came our way. It was then that there was an incredible bliss to the moment.
Committment- we committed our lives to this unborn child...and to each other and by doing so we became angels to each other and to our child. Looking into my wife's eyes knowing her committment to me and to our child was the greatest experience of my life. An Angel indeed.
What a peaceful and joyous experience.

I am so thankful for my angels and will always pray for those who feel lost and alone and are in need of angels.

The fourth picture in the mural (see the mural here http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html )is when Mary told Joseph the news. Joseph was a very righteous man and a great example of earthly integrity. Although

knowing he was not the father and was faced with a situation that in his time could cause him great shame and public ridicule he stood by Mary who already was faced with public ridicule making him an excellent choice for the Messiah's father. Because Joseph was not yet married to Mary his decision to stay with Mary was very challenging and he was very confused.

There are so many times when a life is to be brought into the world in less then ideal circumstances. It is a miracle to behold when a man and a woman can overlook the challenges they are facing. By just opening their hearts to love each other more rather then turn away from each other obstacles can be turned away and beautiful things can occur.

My sister and her husband unexpectedly were told they were to have twins after already having a two year old to raise. The thought of the new additions coming along at this time in their life was not only a surprise but was a hard thing to comprehend as they were not sure how they would cope. But to watch how my sisters husband poured more of his love and strength into the relationship and how that energy gave strength to my sister turned a situation with many challenges into a wonderfully beautiful family. The love they had for each other combined with their faith radiated unbelievable beauty and enlightened all around them. To this day their children continue to pour out love to all who come near them.

God bless the husband who stands by his wife and loves his family. I have seen this in my loving mom and dad, I have witnessed this through my brother and his wife and my sister and her husband. I know that in my life with my wife and our little child that when life throws us unexpected challenges that it is in that time we must come closer to each other.

God bless good friends and family. When a life begins to grow inside a woman, especially when it is unexpected like Mary had to go through, it can turn a beautiful moment into one of uncertainty. To know you have to share the unplanned news with your spouse, to know that you may not be ready for this unexpected treasure, to have so many questions you don;t know the answers to, can cause one to doubt that its even possible. Mary was scared and uncertain.

So many women go through this challenge. Friends and family can help so much in providing comfort. Mary visited Elizabeth to share the news and in doing so gained strength and comfort.

We all need friends and family to turn to in moments where we are uncertain. I believe God works miracles sometimes through the people he places in our lives whose words can make all the difference. They can strengthen our faith that all will be well and will also provide the support in times of difficulty.

I know I have been so blessed with beautiful friends and beautiful family. This is no coincidence. I know that they have been placed in my life for a reason and my life is beautiful because of it. With that in mind we should all do our best to be that person that others so desperately need in times of trouble. We need to give our love as much as we need to receive others love.

See the mural piece added to the big picture here http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

The second painting in the mural-
When the angel was speaking to Mary I could just imagine her disbelief. How is this all possible? How could she be having a child? Then at the same time when she began to realize what was upon her she must have had incredible excitement within.
I know as an expectant parent once you discover the news its amazing where your mind can go. You instantly envision the future...will it be a boy or a girl. Will you be doing all sorts of exciting things together. What will he or she be like? Soooo many exciting thoughts. But then you also have those fears. Yes those fears that come at you from all angles as well. I know I said it in my last blog as well but you fear problems, you fear your own self- can I even be a good parent? I don;t know if i have the ability? This could be so overwhelming....Can i deal with it all?

You almost need a place for your mind to rest with all that you process. I would pray.
That helped me to relax and to have a place to rest my thoughts. I would also talk to my wife a lot and we would share our thoughts. It was so amazing to hear she felt so many things that i did. But together we were able to eliminate many fears and we began to enjoy each other that much more and looked forward to the road ahead... see the mural come to life here http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

Today I start my journey through the newest mural created by Lewis Lavoie. It is called the Nativity. It will be a mural that takes people on the journey through the advent calendar to Christmas Day. i am starting early as Lewis is creating the pictures daily and I want to blog my own relation to this project. Having just had a child of my own this is a very special mural to me as I can really understand the joy and fears that Mary and Joseph would have experienced not knowing what to expect becoming new parents. I always hoped someday to be the father to a child. To think that it would happend when I was 42 years old was such a shock and a blessing.

Much like when the angel appeared to Mary- i am sure she felt shocked and blessed at the same time. So once the news of the child was put upon us- the world opened up in an entirely new way. Fears, joys, hopes, excitement and so many uncertainty's. All i could do was pray for a healthy child and have faith that Amy and the baby would be taken care of through the process and i would be able to provide the strength for them to lean on when they needed it most.

So step one in the Nativity mural is Mary is approched by the angel... watch the mural come to life at this web address http://www.muralmosaic.com/Nativity/panels/dec01.html