As many of you know we welcomed our 4th grandchild into the world this past Monday. Charlee Annabelle Mathews came into the world and into our hearts with great gusto. She is beautiful! Her fingers and toes are the longest I have ever seen. Trust me when I say it will be no problem for me to look and act totally foolish when it comes to her. She is perfect in every way. We feel very blessed.
As with most births there is alot of excitement and anticipation involved and this birth was no different...in that sense. But there were some unique differences in how Charlees birth unfolded. Let me explain.
Anna's labor was actually very easy. (I can say that because: a. I am her mom and b. I have gone through labor myself and her's was a breeze compared to mine!) In no time at all we were looking Charlee in the face and celebrating her arrival with great joy. After the alotted time for 'mommy/daddy bonding time' Anna and Josh were transferred to the 3rd floor. They were put in a room at the end of a long hall that we all agreed was the smallest room in the hospital. But that was not what made it unique. You see they were taken to room 331. For most people room 331 would hold no significance...but for Anna and Josh room 331 held alot of signifigance. A year and a half earlier it was in this room that Anna and Josh would also be taken to wait for news about Tate and Liam. It was in this room that they recieved updates on their progress and setbacks. It was in this room that Anna was asked to pump the only nourishment the boys would recieve in their short time here on earth. It was in this room that Josh would return numerous times to Anna's side after seeing and checking on the boys to give her a run down on how they looked and what was going on. It was in this room that they realized their boys would probably not ever come home. It was in this room that Anna was frantically rushed up to the NICU only to be told that both boys would not make it.
It dawned on all of us as they wheeled Anna into room 331 that perhaps this wasn't a good idea and we should petition the nurses to move them somewhere else....but we didn't. Instead, it was mentioned that this would be okay. Okay because we had come 'full circle'. We could be in this room and be fine because as Anna put it "God has been so faithful...We will get to take this baby 'home'." And she was right. God had been so faithful and room 331 was a wonderful reminder that our Lord had never left our sides. In fact He had walked before ALL of this and had prepared Anna and Josh for THIS amazing day. In a room where at one time sadness and grief hung in the air, joy and elation took over. Thankfulness was abounding and His love and mercy was very evident.
There are events in your life that you never forget and they change you forever. The death of Tate and Liam was one of those for me. For the past year there has been one scene etched in my mind and heart. It was the night that Anna and Josh had to tell the boys goodbye for the last time. Anna and Josh laid in her bed together together and asked Paul to take a 'family picture' of them with the boys. He did. THAT picture has been stamped in my brain...Anna and Josh holding 2 lifeless little bodies with only a memory of what might have been. THIS week as Anna sat on the bed loving on Charlee she looked at me and said "mom, her breath is intoxicating and the best part is...we get to take her home." Wow...intoxicating? Suddenly it made perfect sense to me. Of course her breath was intoxicting. Here in Anna's arms was this precious baby that was responding to her and breathing on her and depending on her for sustinance. Yes, intoxicating was a good word. And so room 331 was okay. Room 331 was actually somewhat healing. Room 331 was where Anna and Josh once again experienced God's unlimited mercy. Yes, we had come full circle....and we had survived. In Ecclesiastes 3:4 scripture says "a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,...". As you all know I LOVE to dance and it is time! It is time to rejoice, to come 'full circle'. I pray you have come 'full circle' many times in your life. Times when you can look back and be thankful that the Lord has brought you to 'this place'. This place of the 'FULL CIRCLE'. Because 'full circle' to me means that at the end of the day the Lord has once again proven that YOU are THAT important to HIM. He knows you hurt and will, can and DOES turn your mourning into dancing again!!! And that's what I've learned along the way....excuse me but Lyric just got here and we have some dancing to do...we are celebrating!
