Our baby in heaven is not really the subject of my blog today, but I needed to lay the foundation for you. We had 2 miscarriages, our baby that was stillborn, and then another miscarriage. The doctors ran many tests and told us to start the adoption process. You know what that means. They pretty much thought we would never have children.
During that time we were living in Hershey, PA while Brian did his Medical Residency. The small church we attended there became our family and when we grieved, they grieved with us. They cried with us, brought us meals (I told them not to, but thankfully they didn’t listen), and just carried us through that difficult time. (We love you, gracepointechurchofchrist!)
And then…
We got pregnant again.
We half-heartedly waited to give the first big chunk of money towards adoption. We fearfully attended many, many doctors appointments. We went through the anxiety of “to tell or not to tell.” (We told. We needed the prayers.) Some of our dearest friends drove an hour and a half to be there with us for the first big ultrasound. (I’ll never forget you being there in that moment, Tim and Tracy.)
And there she was on the screen.
A perfect baby girl. A strong heartbeat. All the right organs. 10 fingers. 10 toes. A sigh of relief. A few tears. And many, many prayers of thanksgiving. (I think Tracy and I jumped up and down screaming afterwards… or maybe that was about getting to go out to eat?)
We had to name her “Grace,” of course. No other name would do for such a miraculous gift from God. Undeserved on so many levels.
When Grace was born our church family rejoiced with us. You truly cannot imagine. When someone grieves with you the rejoicing is that much sweeter. She was not just our baby, she was the church’s baby. When we would arrive on Sunday morning she would disappear in the arms of a loving church family member, get passed around, reappear when it was time to eat, and then disappear again. When it was time to leave I would have to ask “Who has my baby now?” When she “talked cute noises” during the service they wanted her to stay in the auditorium so they could listen. (Sermon? What sermon?) I’m pretty sure our minister held her while he made the announcements on several occasions.
Today is the 11th anniversary of that momentous occasion. Yes, Grace is 11 years old today. I cry as I remember the circumstances surrounding her birth, and, yet, I praise God for His gift. Grace is a joyful treasure in our family. She is a smart, beautiful girl, and her excitement and zest for life are contagious. If you know her, you know the definition of enthusiasm. Of leadership. Of generosity. She sings, she dances, and she has the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen. She can spend 30 minutes telling you the entire plot to a movie she’s seen. She can recall the minutest biblical trivia. She’s her Mommy’s soul and her Daddy’s heart.
Happy Birthday, Grace. You are dearly loved by many people, most of all by your Mommy and Daddy. You are so amazing—we can’t wait to see how God is going to use you!
