Blessings
Over the months of 2011, I have come to realize the many blessings that occurred, in a year full of heartache. On my father’s side of the family we lost his sister and brother to cancer. Although there was much sorrow that occurred, I did see many blessings in the births of two very special baby boys. Two of my closest friends were given the gift of a baby boy and they have helped changed their lives in a special way. Here are their stories.
Jen and I grew up on the same street in Galion. In fact, our parents still live there today. In January of 2011, Jen was seven months pregnant with her second child and was preparing to say goodbye to her mother, who was in the last stages of cancer. Hospice was called in around Christmas and she knew it wouldn’t be long. Jen called me one day and said, “I just don’t think I can do this.” By “this” she was meaning that she didn’t think she was strong enough to deal with all that was going on. A co-worker of Jen’s had gotten up in a meeting that day and had thanked everyone for their support because the co-worker’s father had passed away. Jen knew she was next. She was picturing herself having to get up and do the same thing. She just couldn’t face that she was losing her mother. Jen said to me, “I can’t do this.” I knew Jen would be just fine, and God would give her strength. The truth is, I had never seen anyone in my life have more strength than Jen. Only a year before I watched her stand strong when her first child, Sam, was born with Down Syndrome. She had to stand strong when Sam was only 3 months old and had to have open heart surgery to correct the two holes in his tiny heart. Jen was such an encouragement to me. I would think I had problems and then I would think about what Jen was enduring.
Jen’s mother passed away on January 15, and God gave Jen the strength to make it through. Jen’s mother, Mary Ann, was a fantastic sewer, and at the funeral home, over every chair hung one of her quilts. It was such a joy to see all of her works on display. Jen and Mary Ann had a special bond, and I can see a lot of Mary Ann in Jen. Jen is a wonderful mother and the birth of her second son, Daniel, was a great blessing for her in 2011. Daniel was a blessing because he brought Jen’s light for life back. Daniel was born in March and he helped Jen to regain her spirit back after losing her mother. Although Jen and her husband, Francisco, were mourning, Daniel came at God’s perfect time when they needed the hope.
In January of 2011, my best friend since the 5th grade, Andrea, decided she and her husband, Tom, were going to adopt. After many years of tests, infertility treatments, and pain they were ready to be parents. They knew that God had called them to be parents so they began the process of adoption. They knew they wanted to adopt a baby from the United States and said they would start first by word of mouth. Telling everyone they knew that they were interested in adoption. They hired a lawyer and began making a portfolio about themselves to share with birth mothers.
Just three months into the process they got a call from a friend. The friend said a coworker of hers had a young daughter who was pregnant and interested in adoption. Andrea didn’t waste a minute and drove to her friend’s house and dropped off their portfolio. Andrea had worked hard on the portfolio and in it were pictures, stories, and why Tom and she wanted a baby. Andrea’s friend shared the portfolio with the family and a meeting was arranged with Tom and Andrea on April 9th. At the meeting was the family of the young girl, as well as, the young boy’s family. Tom and Andrea answered lots of questions about themselves and felt good about the meeting. Andrea shared her pain in not being able to conceive her own child, and I know it was a hard day for her.
The next day, Tom and Andrea went out and bought a crib. Andrea had her eye on one special crib. They knew that they would need a crib eventually, but that day they didn’t know just how soon they would be using it. On April 13, they got the call from the family they had met, and they wanted Andrea and Tom to be the baby’s parents. The mother of the young girl stated after their meeting, “We liked Andrea and Tom after seeing their portfolio, but we fell in love with them after we met them.” Family and friends rejoiced with Tom and Andrea and were pleased to learn the baby would be here in August. Tom and Andrea were invited, by the young girl, to come to all the doctor’s appointments with her. Tom and Andrea were able to hear the baby’s heartbeat. They were there when the first ultra sound took place and learned they were having a boy. Then on August 15, at 3:28 in the morning, Andrea and Tom became the proud parents to Kaiden Thomas. Andrea was in the delivery room when he arrived and in a matter of minutes she and Tom were in their own hospital room. Andrea and Tom were moved to their own room to bond with their baby. What a blessing from God!
As this Christmas approaches I can’t help but thank God over and over for the lives of these two precious baby boys. The births of these babies have brought such joy to two people I love very much. Even though I dealt with a lot of death in 2011, I am reminded of the verse from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” Did you experience an event this year that you just know God was right there? If so, give thanks for the blessing. I just love seeing God’s miracles at work.
