Emily Grace

It's strange walking into your room. Seeing all the new furniture, decorations, and bright colors is surreal. It's obvious something is different in there. Even the dog explores it curiously during the day. At night, he sleeps on your floor, basking in the brand new scent of items fresh from their packaging. We never go in there, unless we are working, because it is not our room. It is yours.

Isn't that strange? You have a room, clothes, and furniture, and you are not even here to claim it! Your name hangs to the left of the entrance on a pink and brown decoration your mother painted. It matches the colors on your curtains, crib, and the blanket that is draped over the chair we will rock you in when you wake us in the middle of the night.

This room and all of its contents just sit there, idly waiting for someone to bring life into their midst. We could break the silence ourselves, and perhaps start eating our dinner in there every night, as we discuss the day's activities. But that would be ridiculous. It is not our place to do that, it is your room. We talk about it as if you already live here. "Where is the furniture polish," I ask your mom. "It's in Emily's room," she responds. It's in there because she has been meticulously making things just right for your arrival.

But we are not the only ones that are acting out of sorts. Your aunts, uncles, grandparents, and our friends (some that I hardly know) have begun buying you all kinds of things that will find their way into your room. You'll learn that things like this do not often happen in our world. Time, energy, and money are not typically lavished on someone that people have never met. Rooms are not left lifeless with brand-new merchandise for children that people do not know. Yet, all of this sits, quietly waiting for you.

We have no idea what you will look like, who you will take after, or what you will be good at. Those are just some of the reasons people are given gifts and awards in society. But none of them describe the care and attention that has been directed towards you. You have done nothing to earn it, nor have you influenced anyone to get it for you. The only thing that has merited such a production on your behalf is this: you are ours. You belong to us. And for that reason alone, you are already loved far beyond what you could possibly comprehend.