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As editor of the Anglican Journal, I sometimes agonize over the editorials I write—spending days developing and discarding drafts before settling on a message that expresses my thoughts clearly, offers something worthwhile to readers and serves the greater glory of God.
Today, as parental leave approaches, I must settle on a single draft with a simple message: I am about to be away for two months for the birth of our first child.
In my absence, Tali Folkins will serve as acting editor of the Journal. Tali has been a staff writer for our publication for more than five years—he is highly qualified for this task, and I know he will provide excellent leadership in this time. Please pray for him and for staff writers Matt Gardner and Joelle Kidd as they undertake the May and June issues of the Journal, and another issue of Epiphanies, with one less set of hands in the mix.
And please pray for Kate, my spouse; our soon-to-be newborn; and for me. At present, we anticipate no complications in birth—but we gladly accept prayers that things stay that way!
We feel God has blessed us with new life in a year that has been challenging, so we are filled with gratitude and joy—and we give thanks to God for that. As relatively recent immigrants to Canada, we are delighted to work for employers who understand the benefits of parental leave and to live in a country that actively supports parenting. We are grateful for the care we have already received from the IWK Health Centre’s midwives and our doula. And it seems worthwhile to offer thanks to Nova Scotia Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Strang and all the leaders in our home of Nova Scotia—all 971,000 leaders who have worked to keep COVID-19 numbers low here. We pray for all who have laboured under less desirable circumstances in this past year, and especially for mothers who contracted the coronavirus over the course of their pregnancy. I have seen every one of those news stories, and I have heard personal stories, and I have prayed every time.
Finally, I have a particular message for one reader. If, at some point, you are looking through the archives of the Anglican Journal to understand how your father anticipated your arrival in the world, you won’t find much. This may be mystifying, as I have written about personal and sensitive topics as editor of this venerable publication. And perhaps I should have said more about you—though I should also say that your story and your mother’s story is not my story, and thus not mine to broadcast. However, please know this: I love you and cannot wait to meet you.
—MT