Memories in Waiting

Who doesn’t love baby clothes?

It doesn’t matter who they are–client, volunteer, donor, delivery man–almost anyone who walks into Lifeline oohs and ahs over the boutique filled with baby clothes, quilts, and all kinds of supplies. Tiny ensembles adorned with flowers, frogs, firetrucks and frills fill the racks. Miniature Mary Janes and cowboy boots stock the shelves, and rows of lotions and powders give the clinic that new baby smell (the good kind, that is).

By enrolling in Lifeline’s PLANS program, clients have the opportunity to collect points that allow them to purchase clothes and supplies. Not only do they get to take home vital knowledge on prenatal care and parenting skills, they get to take home the physical necessities for their babies.

But these irresistibly adorable onesies, hats, and socks aren’t just pieces of cloth to cover the body. When I peruse the boutique, I see memories in waiting. That lacey white dress might be worn at a birthday party. The little baseball uniform could go along to baby’s first trip to the ballpark. The Mickey Mouse socks may be there for baby’s first steps. These are more than items: they are the fine details of a special moment.

To all of our donors who help to stock our boutique, know that your gifts serve multiple purposes: to clothe the naked, but also to add color and delight to the lives of families. Your donations are vehicles in which kids cruise around their little worlds, creating smiles and happy tears on their own faces and those of their parents.

Next time you stop by and giddily browse the racks of pink and blue, see the potential moments. Look for the real lives soon to fill the sleeves and soles. Realize that each onesie represents a human being, created uniquely by the God of the Universe. Take a moment to wonder who the baby wearing that onesie will become and what miracles God will inspire through them.

By Kathryn Farmer