Blessed

While the past week has been a whirlwind, last night Don and I had to step back and be thankful. I am okay. The baby is okay. While I have had to endure some unpleasant things, it doesn't appear there will be any long-term problems for the baby or me. This is going to cost us a lot of money, though thankfully we have good insurance, and we won't have to pay another deductible when the baby is born.

So nothing really bad has happened. And a lot of good things have happened. We have been shown SO much love, and concern by those around us! The day I came home from the hospital (when we were both trying to get some much-needed sleep!), I counted 18 phone calls we got from concerned friends and family. There have been many more since, plus cards, e-mails and other forms of caring. People Don hardly knows have been coming up to him at work, asking how his wife is doing and assuring him they are praying for us. We have never felt so loved!

God is faithful. He is taking care of us and using those around us to remind us of that.

We are optimistic that the worst is over. I went to the doctor yesterday for a follow-up visit and he said things were looking better, though still not exactly as they should be. I will see him again in another week. Please keep us in your prayers -- that this problem will be resolved and that I will give birth to a healthy baby in mid-October.

A Wild Few Days

Well, things have been a little crazy for the past few days, which included a trip to the emergency room and an overnight stay in the hospital and some other unpleasant things I won't bother to mention.

I am having pregnancy complications. Apparently, I am carrying the baby in an odd way, which is causing me some big problems. This is something that happens only in very rare cases.

As of now, thankfully, the baby is fine. The doctor was planning to do a procedure on me this morning (under anesthesia) to try to resolve the problem, but lots of people are praying for us, and when he checked me out he said things were looking a little better and decided not to do it. This is not to say he won't need to at all, but I am choosing to believe God is answering our prayers, and this procedure can be avoided.

This is a time in my life when all I can do it trust in God, because things are completely out of my control. I want very much for this baby to be okay, but I know that whether it is or it isn't, God has a plan that's greater than mine. I would very much appreciate any prayers for the baby and for Don and me.

. . . and here's a "sneak peek" we got yesterday.

National Day of Prayer

I just heard the news that the National Day of Prayer has been ruled unconstitutional. That is utterly ludicrous! How in the world can anyone object to it???

No one is being forced to pray. If other religions want to hold days in honor of their religion, it doesn't offend me. They're not forcing me to participate. I think that's where we have crossed the line to absurd in this country. Now it's not enough for atheists to not be forced to participate in events honoring God; they don't want anyone to be able to acknowledge Him. AND THEY ARE SUCCEEDING! At least on a federal level. They will never be able to stop me personally, but it is tragic that we can no longer be free to acknowledge God and honor Him as a country.

I would encourage you to pray more than ever for this nation. I believe God has historically blessed us and made us great because we are a country founded on His principles. What will happen when we turn our backs on Him? What kind of country will our children and grandchildren grow up in? I believe it is up to us as Christians to stand up now for what is right and make our voices heard loud and clear. And to pray. May we always be one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Overwhelmed

If I were going to choose a single word to define the past few weeks, since I learned I was pregnant, it would be “overwhelmed.” When I first found out the news, I was overwhelmed with a whole gamut of emotions ranging from excitement to fear to thankfulness to doubt that it was even real. (I’m getting past that one, now that my belly is getting bigger by the hour!)

In the weeks since, I have been overwhelmed with exhaustion, trying to just get through day-to-day life at about half my normal energy level. Rarely does a day pass when I don’t need a nap, and even then, I find it hard to muster up the energy to do the things I normally do.

Now that the word is out, Don and I have both been overwhelmed with the love, the joy, the excitement that those around us have shown. When he announced our news in church on Easter Sunday, the entire congregation responded with applause and cheers, followed by hugs and lots and lots words of happiness and encouragement. This has been echoed by the many others who have found out our news since then. It is so heartwarming to both of us to have people be so very supportive and joyful for us.

I’m sure I will have plenty more overwhelmingness in the days ahead: long nights with little sleep after the baby is born, the responsibilities of being a parent, and other things I can’t yet imagine. I am trying not to get overwhelmed with worry about my health and the baby’s, what kind of world this child will grow up in, how we will manage financially, etc. God is in control. He loves us and gave us this child for a reason, and I know He will take care of us all. I am so thankful for that and so thankful that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him.

And I am overwhelmingly thankful for all of you, who have shared in our joy and been supportive to us during this precious time in our lives.

Good News

Well, I didn’t want to blog about it until I told some people personally, and I didn’t want to tell anyone before I was 12 weeks along, but the time has come.

I’m having a baby!

God is good. He is also full of surprises! The baby is due just after my 44th birthday. One day, shortly after I found out the news, I was questioning, “Why now?” “Why, after we’ve been married for 4½ years?” We had certainly thought that, especially at my age, if it was going to happen, it would have happened long before now.

The answer came to me clearly in the form of a passage of scripture that I have grown to love in recent months since studying the book of Acts in my Bible study:

“From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:26-27

God determined the time and place this child would live from the very beginning, so he/she would seek Him. To add to my reassurance, this was the passage covered in our sermon at church this past Sunday, the day we announced our news there.

We are so thankful for this gift God is bestowing upon us. We are trying not to fear the many uncertainties that lie ahead, but just to trust that our child’s life is in His hands.

Another sweet reminder God gave me came in the form of an old Gaither song we sang today in Bible study, which I hadn’t heard in years:

How sweet to hold our newborn baby
And feel the pride and joy he gives,
But greater still, the calm assurance
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

Easter Fun

It has become a tradition in our family after church on Easter to come to our house for pizza and an Easter egg hunt. A few friends join us sometimes too. And it's not just the kids that hunt eggs; it's the adults as well!

Don and my brother Andy made homemade pizza in advance, so when we got home, all we had to do was pop it in the oven -- much easier than a fancy dinner and at least as much fun!

When they got here, everyone (who wasn't cooking) had to stay downstairs until the hunt began.

I reviewed the "rules," and the hunt was on! The adults' eggs were hidden in high places, and the kids' in low.Some were hidden in strange places (incidentally, the egg he sought was on the floor behind the toilet, not in it.)Afterward, everyone examined their loot. My brother's birthday was a couple of weeks ago, so my mom made a "bunny" cake (every 37-year-old man's dream), and he opened his gifts after we ate.It was a wonderful day to celebrate Jesus' resurrection and have a little fun with family and friends as well.