“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven… Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11a NLT).

“Mora, are they ready yet?”

And I shook my head. “Lila Grace, look at them. What color are they?”

“Green.” My oldest grand-girl smiled.

“And what did Mora tell you?”

“They need to be blue. Then we can pick ’em and eat ’em.”

“That’s right, silly.” I tousled her blonde head. “Just a little more time.”

Just a little more time.

Seems we’d been hearing those words quite a lot lately, though not about blueberries.

When our third grand-girl was born at thirty-two weeks gestation, making her appearance on May 15th rather than waiting for her July 10th due date, we naturally had concerns. After her emergency C-section delivery, Maci Lynn was rushed to a hospital thirty minutes away, calling Mission’s NIC Unit home.

Each time her parents or either set of her grandparents visited, they were told those same five words–

Just a little more time.

Like Maci Lynn’s big sisters Lila Grace and Emory Wren, we’d sort of scuff our feet, even if in only a figurative fashion. After all, we can be as impatient as preschoolers when it comes to waiting, and all we wanted was to have that little Sweet Pea home.

Yesterday, however, we received the call we’d been waiting for, with word that our newborn grand-girl was finally being discharged from the NIC Unit.

“She’s coming home today,” our daughter-in-law told us, and we cheered… in the literal sort of way!

Filled with nervous energy, I sorted through clothes to take to our area women’s shelter, not to mention stashed winter coats still hanging in the hall. Stuffing them in the closet, the thought crossed my mind–so quickly seasons change. It’s summer now but soon autumn, in…

Just a little more time.

So, too, with Maci Lynn. Her NIC Unit season ended. Introductions were made, and she met her Auntie Allie, Uncle Jake, and Aunt Chloe. Later, she was doted over by two big sisters who’ve been anxious to see this little one they’d tried so diligently to believe was here. Still, being only three and four, they hadn’t quite mastered the critical thinking necessary to really know for sure.

They stared at her, smelled her, and tickled her toes for several moments, but Maci Lynn was small and sleepy and didn’t return their hellos. Before long, playing outside in the summer sun seemed a better pastime, and the pair made a beeline to our backyard.

“Look, Mora!” This time it was wee Emory who held something in her clenched fist.

“What’cha got there?”

Opening, she held them out. “Blueberries.”And they were–both blue and berries. “Can I eat ’em?”

“Of course. Want Mora to get you a container so you can pick more than your hands will hold?”

She nodded and, joined with her older sister, the two picked berries, eating most of them, yet managing to bring some inside before another outdoor activity stole their attention.

Before day’s end, we made a cobbler with that fruit–the fresh-from-the-oven dessert devoured in no time. It was a celebration after all!

All the while Maci Lynn slept, passed around from one family member to another. Ooo-ed and ahhh-ed over, her soft head received all those long-awaited kisses, and the words we’d heard so many times over the course of a little more than a month and a week were merely an echo–

Just a little more time.

One day soon, in what will seem the blink of an eye, we’ll tell little Maci Lynn about the day of her birth and the day of her home-coming. No doubt, we’ll include the part about God’s perfect and beautiful timing, making certain to add, just like the dash of salt thrown into the cobbler recipe…

“You arrived when blueberries blued.”

And we’ll likely tell her how just a little more time, when it’s God’s time, means there’s a perfect season for all things under heaven–a time to be born…

Yes, a time to come home.

Welcome home, sweet Maci Lynn! You’re already loved beyond measure by so many.

 

***

 

Fresh Fruit Cobbler Recipe

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, allowing 4 T. (1/2 stick) butter to melt while heating.

Remove and blend with fork until smooth:

1 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 C. white granulated sugar and 1/2 C. brown sugar

3/4 C. milk

1 1/2 t. baking powder

Dash of salt

After well-blended, add fresh fruit (we love a mix of blueberries and peaches) to the top.

Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (or both).

Whipped Cream Recipe

1 pint whipping cream

2 T. powdered sugar

Dash of salt

Mix until stiff consistency, making peaks when paddles pull up.

Add 1/4 t. vanilla and blend.