365 Days with Teddy
A video scrapbook from the crazy paths of parenthood…
Our first lockdown baby (and definitely-hopefully our last…), it was mid September when Teddy Steady (Theodore Steadfast) arrived into the world at South Lakes Birth Centre here in Barrow.
Theodore means ‘gift of God’, because what does any of us have that we did not first receive? And Steadfast? It’s one of those words translators use to capture the old Hebrew word for God’s strong and faithful love, hesed:
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The *steadfast love* of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
(Lamentations 3:21-23)
Ham Tradition is to try and capture a couple of seconds from each day in their first year. As the writer Annie Dillard put it, ‘How we spend our days is how we spend our lives’.
The idea is that taking a little clip is a way to help us grow daily thankfulness to God in our hearts for his ‘gift’, and not just Teddy, but the many gifts we enjoy, not least the human gifts of friends & family who surround him (even if a lot of that was on Zoom to start with!) – and thankfulness for you too if you’re bothering to read this (whether or not you’re in the video – some people are more camera shy than others!). Thank you for being part of Teddy’s life and for helping, supporting, and praying for us all. It takes a village…
Yes, in lots of ways it’s a fun highlights reel to capture special places & faces & rhythms, but you’ll also see nappies, tears & Calpol. Generally Daddy-Grumps aren’t on screen, because I was the one doing the filming, but be assured there’s been a fair few of them…
Ultimately we’re thankful for Jesus, who gives us the ultimate and indescribable gift of himself. He is the Steadfast One, both ‘Strong & Kind’, and, just as he has been the ‘God of our fathers’, we pray he would be the God of our children’s children too.
As for the soundtrack, these precious songs have been a big part of our lives this past year:
Steadfast – Sandra McCracken
It Would Be You – Ben Rector
Kaleidoscope – A Great Big World
God of My Fathers – Andrew Peterson
Sweet Baby Boy – Slugs & Bugs
And if you want a trip down memory lane…