Monday, December 1, 2014

Celebrating Arrivals

I have to confess, Advent is a word I've heard many times, although until recently, I'm not really sure what it meant. A quick glance at the dictionary told me: "a coming into place, view, or being; arrival." That can certainly be applied to many things, but in this season, and as the calendar year comes to an end, Advent makes me think of my family.
It was a day in May of last year when my wife and I found out that we were expecting a new addition to the family. As the ultrasound was being performed, we learned that it wasn't just a single addition, it was a double. Yep...twins. Needless to say we were over the moon and we quickly realized that we'd have to start getting ready for the arrival of these two babies. We read books, talked to others, and took parenting classes in hopes of trying to be ready.
My wife, Kristie, is the one who has the talent of picking out clothes, choosing colors, and organizing things. Aside from being the grunt, I felt I had to contribute. I had to use what God gave me: being fairly adept at working with my hands and having a loving family - one that also has a cabinet shop. I decided I'd build cribs for the twins. It was an incredibly rewarding project, one that I got to share with my dad. 

As I worked (and worked, and worked) on the cribs, I thought back to all of the things my dad made for me as a child - toy boxes, baseball bats, bunk beds, bird houses, and the like. Maybe someday I'll be able to help build things with my boys. As we progressed in the pregnancy and I finally finished the cribs, it was very gratifying to set them up in the nursery. It made things seem more real. I couldn't wait to see the kids in them.
I'll always think back to those days of building the cribs and anticipating the arrival of our boys. That's what Advent is to me - celebrating arrivals. And I can think of no better place to do that with than in the presence of family and friends - whether that be in a dusty cabinet shop, attending church, or sitting around the holiday table and singing songs. Happy holidays!
Nick Swanson is an amateur woodworker, and a sleep-deprived yet extremely proud husband and father. His boys turn one today.