Hope, New Life, A Birthday Is a Beautiful Thing!
“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair…” Isaiah 61:3b
Today I thank God for one of the greatest blessings in my
life. Amelia Rose Parker, born 18 years ago. She was 10 lbs., 15 oz., 23” long.
We joked that she was actually like a toddler. And her wild red hair, well, it
was a little shocking!
Amelia’s life marked a new day of hope for my husband and I.
Chris had been hit by a car and suffered traumatic brain injury. It was very
serious. For several days, his life hung in the balance. Once he got over that
hurdle, we just had no idea how far his recovery would go. At first, Chris
didn’t know who he was, who we were, how to walk, talk, feed himself. And there
were no promises from the doctors. We would just have to wait and see.
Chris had a slow but sure miraculous recovery. After six
months of intense occupational, physical, and cognitive therapy, it was time to
test the waters of Chris returning to his job as a Marketing Director at one of
the Big Eight accounting firms. The professionals at Kessler, where Chris had
his rehab, felt it was too soon. Meanwhile, the company wanted to know whether
or not Chris could return to his job. The work trial, as it was called, failed.
I’ll never forget the day Chris sat in our backyard, heartbroken at the news
that he would not return to the firm.
Time marched on. Chris’ recovery continued. It was a wild
and wonderful thing to see Chris regain much of what he had lost. Each day was
like a new discovery. However, Chris’ future, especially his ability to return
to work full time, remained uncertain.
And then…We found out we were pregnant. Oh you can bet the
judgment came. People thought we were crazy. Our loved ones were more than a
little concerned for us. How would we handle this new life? The stress? The
expense? The time and effort? We already had such a busy household with two
young kids, a teenager, and a dad recovering from a brain injury.
Well Chris and I believed that this baby was a new beginning
for us. She/he was good news. We were ecstatic. We didn’t know how this would
all work out. But we really believed this baby was a gift from God. And so we were
filled with joy and anticipation.
Here we are. 18 years later. Turns out we were right. Amelia
has been such a blessing. Just two years after Chris was hit by a car, her birth
helped us move beyond what had been to what could be. Amelia brought with her
the promise of hope.
Today, I’m skipping the simple. Hope, New Life, A Birthday
Is a Beautiful Thing!
What’s your story of hope?
Wow, Leesie, I have never heard the story told that way...that is so beautiful. I'm not going to admit to you that I have inherited the Daly sister tears when reading hopeful, moving stories like this one (or that I am tearing up right now). But I will say that we are all so thankful for Amelia ;)
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the gift of tears! I agree, so thankful for Amelia and all of my girls and nieces and nephews too. Very blessed...
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