Miracles

What a beautiful week it has been! I've been anxiously awaiting the birth of my nephew, Josiah Gabriel. Patience is, unfortunately, a virtue I do no possess. I've been praying for him, thinking about him, reading to him, cleaning for him, and loving him every day all day since I received the news of his conception. It has been a wonderful journey of discernment and love for me. But man, I was ready for him to get here. I wanted to meet the little guy.

Last Wednesday, I got the call at 6:00 in the morning that Katie was experiencing the tell-tale signs of labor. Hurriedly, I grabbed my hospital bag that I had prepared, jumped in my car, and rushed to the hospital. When I got there she was dialated to a 6. I thought, "Ya! He's going to be here before I know it." Six hours later, Katie was still dialated to a 6. I was starting to get impatient. Around 1:30, Katie was ready to welcome her miracle into the world. The room was whirlwind of activity as the nurses rushed to get everything ready. I took my place by Katie's side, holding her hand. 30 short minutes later, little Josiah took his first breathe.

Being the sap that I am, I cried. I was so overcome with emotion that all I could say was blessed be God, over and over again. What a miracle childbirth is! I will never forget the look on Katie's face as she held her beautiful baby boy for the first time. It reminded me of something that Christopher West wrote in Heaven's Song. He discusses the joy that we feel on Christmas Day when we celebrate the birth of Christ. That joy is to be felt at the birth of every child in the world, because we are all God's children. We are all a precious gift from above. No matter the situation, no matter the background, no matter the world, each birth is a miracle. Children are a miracle. 

While holding little Siah today, I was once again overcome with emotion. But a more terrible kind. Abortion has always broken my heart, but as I sat there holding him, I just couldn't handle it. I have a hard time understanding how people can claim that unborn children aren't "alive." So this is my plea to you, stand up for the unborn. Pray for the parents considering abortion, pray for the babies, pray for the broken families, pray for those trying to recover from the terrors of abortion. Josiah is a beautiful testimony to life, help others continue that legacy. Mother Teresa worked tirelessly to fight the evils of abortion. Ask for her intercession and prayers. She once said, "I want the child, give me the child." Let us all echo her desire to save the unborn.

Mother Teresa, pray for us.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, protectress of the unborn, pray for us. 

Growth

Understanding comes when we begin to see God's hand in our life. It's only when we stop focusing on ourselves and turn our attention to Christ that we are able to see growth from a time of suffering. Thankfully, this summer has been an opportunity for me to stop being so self-absorbed and to step back to see the bigger picture. The past year has been a necessary period of growth for me and I am thankful for it. While sitting with a friend in Manhattan one night, we were discussing my journey. That's when this list started. Over the past week, I just started writing things down. Overall, it's hard to summarize just how much God has taught me this year, but here are a few of the key points.

Life lessons I’ve learned in the past year:

1. Self-pity is self-destructive.
2. No matter how much you love someone, you can’t make them love you back. You can’t be angry at them for that. Love them anyway.
3. There’s good in everyone, but that doesn’t mean everyone is good for you.
4. Life goes on. The pain might feel like it’s going to kill you, but it’s not. The scars it leaves behind will just give you character.
5. Children are the most innocent healing power in the world.
6. A friendship that ends was never a friendship to begin with.
7. God gives you multiple chances to do that right thing. If you don’t do it, God will. And it’s probably going to hurt a lot more than if you had just done it in the first place.
8. Share your experiences. Other people might be struggling with the same thing.
9. As much as you want them to, some people just don't belong in your life.
10. There's a difference between suffering and misery.
11. The opposite of love is lust.  
12. I am incredibly blessed.
13. Sometimes the things that feel the most right are the most wrong.
14. Suffering is a necessary part of life.
15. Don’t be afraid to tell your friends things. They will respect you for being honest with them.
16. Rush hour traffic is a blessing. It gives me an hour a day to concentrate on practicing virtue.
17. Surround yourself with people that pray for you.
18. You’ll never fall too far to be loved.
19. Even with the pain and heartache, it's still a beautiful world.
20. I’ve got a lot to learn.


Blessed be the name of the Lord.