New and Old

This morning I had the pleasure of delivering meals to two families who have had babies in the last few weeks. I our group. I love having the opportunity to share in the joy of a new family by providing some type of support at a hectic time.

When I got back into the car, one of the Archbishops was on the radio talking about Chicago and Catholic Charities. He said "where there is selfless giving, God is present." I'd like to think God was with me on my travels this morning. I know for sure He is ever-present in our mom's group.

In addition to the joy that comes with bringing a meal, sometimes I even get a peek at the little fresh miracle. Such was the case at the second house. I don't care how many kids I have, I will ALWAYS forget how tiny they are at the beginning. Just so adorable. So new. So much promise.

The two houses weren't far from one another and I found myself in an oddly familiar part of the city. Suddenly, I looked up and saw "Burchfield Avenue" on the sign. Well, I thought, "hello to you too, Bub." You see, this is the street where my grandmother (aka "Bubba") lived a great deal of the time when we were kids. Well, when my siblings were kids, I think she moved when I was five. I had to take a slight detour from the rest of my day.

Isn't funny how your heart remembers? I know the street and even though they painted the beams this terrible shade of tan (who does that to a beautiful Tudor?) and even though it has degraded a great deal, I recognized it immediately. Driving down the alley, I could see and smell and hear all the joy that happened there.

What a joyous day for me. Seeing new blessings and remembering the old.