“Children are a gift from God; His generous legacy." ~ Psalm
127:3
The moment Holly first held Casey
she fell in love. Her newborn baby smile
was as sweet as a summer strawberry and filled her with a sunshine she never
knew existed.
Brand new eyes peered back at a strange world after life in
the womb. Her legs kicked in a tiny jerky
motion, looking for familiar resistance but finding nothing but air.
Motherhood was something Holly knew she was destined for,
and those first few weeks with Casey were the best weeks of her life. She treasured getting to know Casey and was
looking forward to spending the next few months of her maternity leave together
… until tragedy struck.
What started out as a strange tingling sensation progressed rapidly
into severe neck pain. Within hours, she
was completely paralyzed, unable to breathe independently.
Six weeks passed with little improvement. Unable to talk due to a tube in her throat,
she used a letter board to communicate with her family. Depression washed in like an uninvited wave,
knocking her sandcastles flat.
Casey became the brightest star
in her universe. Nurses regularly placed
the infant so that the new Mom could feel close to her baby. That tiny voice kept urging Holly to look
beyond the darkness to the radiance of hope; and a promise that smiling and
laughter were just around the corner.
Slowly and almost
imperceptivity, Holly started moving again.
Doctors gradually increased the time she was off the ventilator until her
lungs were strong enough to breathe freely.
Eventually she moved to a stroke ward to strengthen her arm muscles and
fine motor skills with the goal of holding Casey again for the first time in 3
months.
And when that day finally arrived, she felt joy like never
before … deeper … more intense. Holding
her baby again was akin to a spine-tingling symphony.
After 126 days in the hospital, Holly finally returned home,
with a new appreciation for all the things that she could do again. Especially a return to motherhood a devotion
that shouts: “I’d rather live on my knees than die on my feet because my baby
needs their mother alive.”
A mother's love for her children is no ordinary kind. That’s the kind of love that God has for
every single one of us. His love gives
us the absolute assurance that we’re never alone. God’s love for us is unfailing and eternal. The more we become rooted in God’s love, the
more we will become happy, fruitful and fulfilled.
Dear God, thank You for the gift of this child
to raise, this life to share, this mind to help mold, this body to nurture, and
this spirit to enrich. Help me, dear
God, to help this precious child become all You mean them to be. Amen
