Blessings

I scooped Meghan up in my arms. She was bundled up in her hot pink winter coat with accompanying pink fleece hat with an adorning white and pink pom-pon a top the hat. As her dress shifted upward, she wiggled and readjusted herself a bit as I took each step down the snow covered front path of my home. Her shiny black patent leather shoes hit my left thigh with each step. I wondered if stains were forming as I made may way to the waiting mini-van. Grace tip-toed her way along ahead of me in her "high heel" shoes, which she adores.

As I inhaled, the wintery air startled me. The temperature had dipped below 20 degrees, and a fresh layer of fluffy snow was under my feet.

"Gracie, please be careful. It is slippery today."

"Mommy, what is that stuff again?"

As I huffed along, I answered, "What stuff Grace?"

"The salt stuff mommy. Can we eat it?"

As the salt crunched under my shoes, I answered, "No, it isn't the eating kind of salt Gracie. That salt is much smaller. This salt melts the ice."

As we approached the mini-van, Charlie opened the side door for us. We got in and drove away toward church. As we drove along, Meghan gleefully cheered. "I'm singin' in choich (church) today!"

"Really Meghan?" I responded to play along.

"Yep! I'm gonna sing Jesus, Name Above All Games."

"Oh wow, you're going to make me so proud. Meghan, are you sure the song isn't called really Jesus, Name Above All Names?"

"Nut uh Mommy! Jesus, Name Above All GAMES! Miss Amy told me," she replied emphatically.

"Okay."

We made it to church on time, and the girls sprinted down the main isle like it was Disney World. "Slow down please!" I pleaded. We took a seat about three rows from the front of the church. As is the usual case, all of the rows in front of us were empty. I thought, "Great! We can easily take a video of Meghan from here."

The service trudged along like our feet on the slippery sidewalk. Meghan and Grace wiggled, squirmed, and jiggled their way through the service. Although, I was quite proud that they were both using their "wisper" voices. Finally, it was time for Meghan to sing with her class.

"It's time for you to sing Meghan."

"Yay!" She wiggled past Charlie's knees out of the pew, and ran up to the front of the church. She found a spot next to Caden, but then Miss Amy moved her down to the front row next to Jason.

As they began to sing, tears formed in my eyes. I was overcome with pride for her as she was singing. I couldn't believe that she was up there singing all of the words one-by-large-one.

Jesus * Name Above All Names
Beautiful Savior * Glorious Lord
Emmanuel * God is With Us
Blessed Redeemer * Living Word

There she was among her friends.

There she stood, singing with her whole heart.

Our beautiful living miracle.

Who came into the world into the hands of a surgeon sounding like a mewing kitten.

Who once was a fragile frail skinned micropreemie.

Who couldn't keep her body temperature warm.

Who would forget to breathe.

Who's heart would skip beats.

Who couldn't make enough parts of her blood to stay alive.

Who was transfused three times by a very generous blood donor.

Who turned ashen blue several scary times.

Who scared her Daddy badly when he came to visit her in the NICU as they were bagging her.

Who would cough and sputter as she learned how to suck the milk from a bottle.

Who lay scarily, completely still in her bassinet as a sleep apnea alarm blared next to her.

Who eventually did well enough to leave the NICU after 79 long, long days.

Who ended up in speech, occupational, and physical therapy.

Who trudges along every day like she is queen of the world.

Who taught me that miracles can come in tiny packages.

There she was in all her glory. Singing some very big words making her Mommy tear up with joy. She is a living breathing gift from God, and today, she prooved to me yet again that she was worth every scary step of the way.



She made us all proud, but it made me tear up a little more when Gracie said, "She is singing so pretty Mommy."

"Yes Grace. Meggie is such a big girl now, isn't she?"

Submitted to Wrapped Emotions for The Gift of Everyday