Our Dear Anna Caroline,
Welcome to a family of singers. We don't always sound so good, but we are always singing. And soon you'll get to join us when we dance around our living room strumming Daddy's "ba-tahg," singing, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow," and "I love you in joy, I love you in sorrow; you can always come home to me." From what I've heard of your little lungs so far, you'll fit in quite well.
Our story is mostly a happy one, but our carols remind me of someone who had to wait a long time for a happy ending. Losing her husband after only seven years, just as long as your mom and I have had each other, Anna spent most of her life waiting. For years and years she waited in the house of God, worshiping with fasting and prayer day and night. It wasn't until she was eighty-four that the redemption and consolation of Israel finally came. Anna was one of the first people to see Him.
Her name, which means "grace," is now yours too. As you spend your first day in our arms, we pray you'll know that same grace and be as full of His song as she was. And, though your story will probably be very different, we pray it will end the same way hers did, your eyes adoring the face of Jesus Christ.
That face is the reason we sing in our house. He is the reason we'll sing quietly when we change your diaper in the middle of the night and the reason we'll sing loudly on Sundays. Nothing quite frees the tongue like knowing grace. Neither can anything else can sustain a song through all seasons of life.
As you walk through your own life, may you know God's unfathomable grace every step of the way. And may that grace make you faithful, and patient, and full of song.
Your loving parents,
David and Emily Cook
June 28, 2016
Sweet Anna Caroline!
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