Hope, New Life, A Birthday Is a Beautiful Thing!

 

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?