A Little Inspiration

Understandably, my mind has been rather fixated on my friend Jackie's situation as of late. I'm thinking a lot of her and her husband, what she is going through, what she will have to face, and also what I have in comparison. She is handling it very well, a testimony to her inner strength and faith. They are at a stand-still for the moment, waiting for the results of the amniocentesis, and later the appointment with the pediatric neurosurgeon on March 17th. She's very Irish (and Italian) so I hope her Irish heritage brings her a bit of luck and good news on St.Patrick's Day. For those of you who are praying, the baby now has a name - Sean David.

In the meantime, I have two inspirational stories I'd like to share. The first is from my mother:

A friend of my mother's, a woman I don't know, was unable to get pregnant. At 41, long after she had given up trying, she became pregnant. Because of her advanced age, the doctors did all of the routine tests on her. The amnio came back irregular, but they could not specify what was wrong with the baby. The recommendation was to terminate, but she refused to give up on her child. Her husband left her because he didn't want to have a handicapped baby, and in many respects her life fell apart. She prepared herself for the worst, but when the baby was born - a little girl - the only thing wrong with her was that she was missing a fingernail on her pinky. For that, she was almost aborted! What an amazing relief for the mother, and a testament to keeping the faith! Sometimes it's not the experts, but rather a mother's gut that gives the best advice.

The next story is one of a couple I personally know. Michelle and Dave, I don't know if you read this blog or not, but I assume you won't mind me sharing your story. It's such an inspiration. You'll forgive me if some of the details are wrong, but the main idea of what you went through is unforgettable.

Michelle was pregnant with twins when one of the twins died. Michelle, like Jackie, had a terrible pregnancy, vomiting non-stop. The doctors recommended that Michelle abort the surviving fetus, because of a long list of complications that could arise from the deteriorating dead baby in her womb. Of course, Michelle and Dave were distraught over this, but they decided that they would follow the doctor's orders, and try for another baby later. Still, the decision weighed heavily on them both. The night before their scheduled appointment in Pittsburgh, Dave had a dream. He was on a football field and a young man came running up to him. Dave looked at the young man and asked, "Alex? Alex, are you alright?" The man responded, "Yeah, Dad. I'm fine." When Dave awoke, he told Michelle about his dream and they decided not to abort the baby. Michelle gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Alex, that June. He'll be 4 this summer, and he's a strapping and brilliant little guy!

It's easy to despair when times are tough, and it's easy to expect the worst. In some ways, I think preparing for the worst is a survival mechanism, necessary to keep us going amidst potential chaos. In many ways, it is difficult to keep faith when things that feel so unjust and cruel are happening. I sincerely believe that God gives us grief to make us stronger, to help us truly appreciate the blessings we have, and to teach us that it is Him after all who is in control, not us, as we so frequently forget.

I am perhaps on of the worst offenders when it comes to losing faith, questioning too much and tightening my own grip of control, but I have been taught, in my own life, and through the lives of others, that sometimes faith is all we have, and sometimes, against the odds, miracles really do happen.

Jackie and Dave could use a miracle about now, so please keep praying, and sending good thoughts their way.