I recently posted this statement on a message board: "Some people believe in miracles ... we were blessed with one to love!" Anyone who has ever heard Lauren's story knows that we've seen miracle after miracle in her life. (If you haven't heard her history, you can watch our Defining Moments video. I'd recommend grabbing a box of kleenex first.)
Unfortunately, I sometimes forget about all those miracles when my busy days are filled with appointments, when the sheets are soaked with a formula feed gone wrong, and when the things on my to-do list multiply faster than rabbits. Perhaps I should post my quote about miracles somewhere that I'll see it often.
The picture above was taken nearly five years ago. It was Lauren's first Wednesday night in "big-girl" Bible class, and she's sitting beside her friend Faith. Faith's parents, Murray and Jaime, stood by us when Lauren was born months before we expected. They prayed for her, organized a 24 hour prayer vigil at our church, and shared a special night of songs and prayers in the hospital chapel.
When our girls were about a year and a half old, these dear friends moved halfway across the country. They continued to pray for Lauren, to send us words of encouragement, and to follow her story through online updates.
While we were traveling last weekend, we were blessed to visit with them again. At several points during our conversation that evening, Murray would just look at Lauren and comment on how good it was to see her in person. We all marveled at how far she has come -- how far she's come since the NICU days when she was so sick, how far she's come since every little illness landed her in the PICU, and how far she's come since the days she was tricycling around the cardiac floor in Philadelphia waiting for her new strong heart.
At the same time that Murray and Jaime marveled at seeing Lauren, my family was thrilled to have the chance to meet the newest member of their family. Last Saturday marked six weeks since they were able to bring Dinks home to live with them. It was such a joy to see the giant smiles on her face -- the face we've been praying for, even when they weren't allowed to publicly share her picture and we just prayed for their precious little girl in Ethiopia.
Lord, I pray that I will see our miracles everyday -- the miracles of sweaty kids playing after dinner, the miracles of a child healthy enough to travel, the miracle of a precious child coming home, and even the miracles when I get up to turn off the beeping feeding pump in the middle of the night.
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| Five miracles -- Eli, Lauren, Dinks, Brennan, and Faith |
Hey, you're one miracle short there! LOL! They are precious little miracles, aren't they?? I love seeing Lauren and Dinks together. God truly has abundant lives planned for us all....life in Him is the only life worth living, and who knows where He, in His wisdom and love, will take the little miracles here! Praise His love and great provision! Love you all!
ReplyDeleteMiracles, in the flesh, are amazing!! Lauren is totally amazing and has come so far. Granted, she still has some length to go, but it's like a 180* turn around. She is just amazing!!
ReplyDeleteOver from the TOS scavenger hunt.
ReplyDeletethat choked me up a little.
We had a little miracle of our own yesterday. We lost our son at a park. Not just any park. this is the biggest park I have ever seen in my life. As far as the eye could see, there was stuff to play on.
To one side, ocean, the other side, street and houses.
He's 3.
I took my eyes off him to help his little sister play but he's usually so good at staying with me. But his other siblings were playing, so I guess he thought he'd go try something out.
We didnt find him for a good 15 minutes.
It was pretty intense. And honestly, if we'd been in America, we'd probably have called the police within the first 5 of the hunt.
anyway, i couldnt stop hugging him at bedtime when he finally slowed down.
I do remember that feeling of how good it was to see Lauren in person for the first time after her transplant and to see how well she was doing IRL. So I totally get that sentiment.
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