I was writing in my yellow office and noticed the time.

“Luke was born on this day at this time!”

This was his bedroom. We painted it John Deere Green colors, yellow with dark green trim. (He is also a Green Bay Packers fan.)

When he moved out, I painted over the green. It’s a sunny southwest office. We filled his former closet with shelves for office supplies, scrapbooks, yearbooks, etc.

Getting the stepstool from the kitchen, I climbed up and pulled his baby book down from the top shelf. I remembered the joy of bringing him home. There was a baby in the house! A baby fills a house with sunshine.

I looked at pictures from his first six years. I dressed Luke adorably – thanks to the generosity of my friend Paula. As her son outgrew his clothes, she loaned them to me.

And those curls!

His hair had a reddish tint when he was born. I found the picture taken before his first haircut. Paula cut it for me. I didn’t have the heart to do it.

I keep one of those curls in his baby book. I didn’t get it out this year. I’m not sad. I’m bursting with pride over the man he became – soldier, fireman, mechanic, farmer, husband, and father.

Looking back to that year, I realized we may have been poor but we were never needy. (Yes, there is a difference.) God always provided our needs.

Proverbs 8:3, “Poor people who oppress the needy are rain that washes away food.” Common English Bible

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“…The poor are those who find themselves in situations of temporary want that can be alleviated by the generosity of those around them. The word translated ‘needy’ in 28:3 suggests that these are people who, because of some devastating life situation, most likely will never be able to care for themselves, and must rely on the goodwill of others for their wellbeing.” Common English Bible Notes on Proverbs 28:3

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Proverbs 29:27, “Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who turn a blind eye will be greatly cursed.” Common English Bible

A baby changes everything in the best possible ways.

March 12, 2020: Proverbs 27-30.

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