Nudged in the dark, I instantly woke up. Though groggy, I knew exactly the reason: Eliana was coming! It was in the wee hours of August 20, 2010 before any glimmer of the rising sun. Both Aneta and I were elated concerning the impending arrival of our second daughter, Eliana Joy Hume.
A few months previous Aneta attended a women’s retreat with other ladies from the church we attended. The guest speaker from Australia prophesied to some of the women in attendance, including Aneta. She made a simple statement (my paraphrase): “The baby in your belly will bring you much joy!” For that reason we felt led to give her the middle name Joy.
Our grid for understanding this joy was based on our amazing experience with our firstborn, Simone. We anticipated a similar experience with Eliana. Honestly, we simply couldn’t fathom the reality of anything different.
Yet it was different.
It wasn’t just that Eliana brought us joy; as she grew it became obvious to all that joy epitomized who she was as a person. She loves to laugh, be silly, and—as someone once asked Eliana, Are you ever not smiling Eliana?—radiate happiness through her smile. She’s a walking bundle of joy. Joy is who she is.
We love how the Lord uniquely creates each person in order to reflect an aspect of His nature. Eliana reminds us daily concerning “the God of hope [who] fill[s] you with all joy” (Romans 15:13).
We’re so thankful for the Lord blessing us with this precious girl. Happy 8th birthday Eliana. We love you so much!
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