Miracles Among Us

So I posted 3 weeks ago about some devastating events that were happening. Things didn't turn out the way we thought they would.

Hope Abigail Gordon (Baby Abby) was born on September 23rd, 2010. She was born with a condition called Trisomy 18 and wasn't expected to live but a couple of hours. But, once again, we all put God in a box and God stepped out of that box in a big way. Abby lived among us for 12 days and touched people around the world. A wonderful couple, Randy and Ellen Olive, photographed her journey each and every day and shared her life with us on their blog, www.oliveourmoments.com. Additionally, Melinda Gordon, Abby's Mommy, shared her thoughts on her own blog, www.hopeabigail.blogspot.com. You should go read about this amazing little girl. It is awesome to follow an actual miracle. Every single breath she took was a miracle. Every time she opened her eyes it was a miracle. She was so strong and absolutely one of the most beautiful babies I've ever seen in my life. While my heart breaks for the Gordons and all the many family members and friends that Abby touched, I am comforted by the fact that this little girl came to earth for 12 days, and completed her mission for God. It would be interesting to know how many people actually came to Jesus because of Abby. I bet there are many. The incredible faith that the Gordon's had before, during and after Abby's life is an amazing testament to God's enduring grace and love.

Anyway, there is the update. The sadness is gone and the celebration of Abby's life has begun.

Until next time.....

Incredible Insights

And here is the first one. It has been EXACTLY a year since I last blogged. My how time flies when you are having fun. I'm not going to blog about what has happened over the last year because frankly, I can't remember to save my soul!

Today I got an e-mail from a dear friend of mine. It talked about instances. How your life can change in an instant. It was one of those motivational, uplifting type e-mails that I usually just read and then discard. But something made me take pause with this one and I really started to think about it.

This week has been full of sadness for me.....sadness for other people. TJ has some friends that he knows from trailriding, Bill and Char Kincaid. They kind of have the same story we have. They met later in life, fell madly in love, and they were soulmates. Last Thursday Char came home and Bill was gone. His keys were in his truck. His wallet (cards and money), cell phone and knife were in the house. He was gone. The police came out and declared him a missing person and the search was on. Both the sheriff's department and the Texas Rangers were involved. And we all prayed for Bill's safe return. Tuesday night I couldn't sleep. When I can't sleep, I feel like that is God's way of telling me "Let's talk." So I did. I prayed a simple prayer "God, whatever Your will, let it be done. Let tomorrow be the day. Let this be over." Right after I prayed that prayer, I fell into a deep and restful sleep. As I was leaving for work on Wednesday, TJ called me and said they had found him. He had died of natural causes on an adjacent property. I was so sad for Char and for his kids. In an instant, their lives were forever changed.

There is a lady who went to our church, Melinda Gordon, who became pregnant. She found out during her pregnancy that her daughter would be delivered, but she had a disease that would not allow her to live. Once delivered, she could have hours or minutes with her. Even knowing that, Melinda and her husband decided that they would carry this precious baby to term and allow their beautiful daughter to enter this world and become a part of their family. All throughout her pregnancy, this baby made herself known - she kicked her mom like crazy almost to say "HEY I'M HERE!!" Well, today is this baby's birthday. Hope Abigail was born this morning at 8:09 a.m. a wooping 3 lbs. 4 ozs! She will only be with them for an instant, but she will be their daughter for an eternity. My GOD what an instant!!

The thing about these two families is that in the worst of times, they are looking up. They are looking to the One who created and allowed the instances. In their pain and sorrow, they realize that God is there with them and they are praising him for all of the instances they had with their loved ones. I am overwhelmed by their grace, because I know that it can only come from God.

Anyway, those are my incredible insights for today. I'll try not to be such a stranger.

Until the next time.....