He talks about parenting being like packing a suit case. The suitcase represents our children and the things inside it represent all the things we want our children to have before leaving our home. Think about the things you want to pack in your child's suitcase. What kind of character do you want them to develope? What are the the things you want them to treasure? How will you help cultivate in them a relationship with the Lord? How will you help encourage their talents? This list goes on and on. On the flip side it can become very easy to put things in our children's suitcase that we never intended. Eric and I decided that we want to start baby Hoff's life "with the end in mind". We already realize how short our time with him will be and we don't want to waste the oppurtunity to show God's great love for him while he is under our roof. We bought this little suitcase as a physical reminder to keep our eye on the target. We want the suticase to serve as a reminder that we are constantly putting things in baby Hoff's suitcase whether we intend to or not. Pray for us as we prepare for this gift from God- that we would continue to remember to keep the end in mind.
Notice the houndstooth pattern on the outside :). For those of you who don't know houndstooth is an essential pattern for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide "Roll Tide!". Sometimes we still cannot believe that we are having a child in the great state of Alabama. Who would have thought? We are obviously embracing it and know that baby Hoff will always have crimson running through his veins no matter where God takes him :).
His first letter from Mom and Dad :)
