Bitter Sweet

Today was a bitter sweet day.  It was wonderful and a little sad all at the same time.  Mostly wonderful and completely exciting!  Do you ever have those days?

Today, the wonderful part was that my precious new niece was born.  What more can I say?  She is beautiful and such a sweet blessing to her mom, dad, siblings and to all of her family.  A precious pink bundle with strawberry blonde hair!  We’ve been waiting months for this little one.  Getting to finally meet her was breathtaking!  There is nothing in this world like holding a brand new baby! I thank God for sending her to be a part of our family.

Now for the bitter.  My mom wasn’t there to welcome her sweet new grandchild today with us.  Her presence was definitely missing.  I know my brother and his wonderful wife would have loved for her to be there.  Cancer is so unfair.  But I think she asked Jesus to send this sweet little surprise package for all of us to love and adore and for that we are all thankful!

Then another thing happened in the midst of our joy today.  As we were waiting in the hospital’s waiting room to see the sweet new addition to the family, I went outside to call my husband and we got disconnected.  I looked up and leaning on a pillar just a few feet from me was a beautiful, young pregnant woman who looked like she was scared to death.  I figured her husband must have dropped her off to park their car.

I waited half a second and then asked her if she was ok.  She replied in a shaky voice, “No, I’m not.”  I got to her as fast as I could and let her lean on me as I helped her inside.  I asked if this was her first and it was and then I asked her if it was her time.  She told me no and that she was only 34 weeks!  She was so scared and she was in so much pain and she just sobbed.  It broke my heart. 

It was all I could do to hold back the tears as we walked inside.  I just kept saying everything would be ok and prayed over and over in my head.  I don’t know what happened to her or her baby, I just pray that she and her baby are just fine tonight.  Please remember her in your prayers today.

Afterwards, I almost broke down and then I remembered something I haven’t remembered in a while.  When I went to the hospital in labor with our 2nd child, Spencer, it was almost the same story.  Except I wasn’t premature, just 2 weeks early, but I was in so much pain and my first delivery was terrifying.  They almost lost me and my daughter, Becca during the delivery.  So when Todd dropped me off to park the car, I sat in the waiting room terrified and crying.

Out of nowhere a sweet lady came over and held my hand, prayed and told me everything would be ok.  Then when Todd walked in the door, she was gone.  He never saw her and I never saw her again.  I’ve always thought that maybe she was an angel or someone that God used to give me comfort in a moment when I needed it.  There is no other way to explain it.  I hope that in some small way that God used me to give that young mother some comfort today just like the lady that comforted me.

I’m not telling you this to lift myself up in any way.  But to remind you that you never know when God is going to use you.  I could have called my husband back or walked inside assuming her husband would have been there in a few minutes.  But, I was there for a reason and my called was disconnected for a reason.  And the only thing I can think of is “If you do this to the least of these…..” 

What a day!