Isn't it lovely when heirlooms can be passed through generations in families? They encourage us to pause for a beat from our overly-busy lives to reflect on our heritage and those who came before and on whose shoulders we will forever stand. They allow us to feel connected to our past as we reach with hope to the future. In this photo, Swen is wearing a light blue snuggly, the very same one I wore home from the hospital when I was born. My brother, Tom, also wore it home from the hospital when he was born two years later. All five of my children wore it at least once, depending on their sizes during the colder season. So of course, Shulamith and I couldn't wait to put it on Swen.
But since he was under 5 lbs. the day we brought him home, we had to wait a bit. It would have drowned him! Today, she pulled it out, and I put it on him. Look! It fits perfectly. The only problem is the temperature was in the high 90's today, so there was really no need for him to wear anything this warm. We left it on him only a few minutes, long enough to take this picture, and so we could say he wore it. There is something so solid and so reassuring in tradition.
Just now, as I was typing this and Shulamith was nursing little Swen to sleep, I showed her the picture once again. She said, "And Swen's babies will wear it too." I hope so. I really hope so.
Though it was nearly 100 degrees outside, he still wore it.
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