Friday, August 3, 2007

Dearest God,

My daughter had a garage sale planned at her house today. People started arriving early and my nearly three year old granddaughter kept walking across the street in between cars. Unaware that anything was amiss, she would look at the neighbor's toys like any other customer. The trouble was that cars lined the streets and they came and went. No one expected a small child to be in the streets. Tragedy could strike; that's when my daughter called asking for a big favor.

I left my garden, dirt on my clothes and body, hair askew, and drove to my daughter's house. When I arrived Stella was standing by her six year old sister's lemonade stand. Of course, I bought lemonade and bottled water from the young entrepreneur, hugged both of them, then put Stella in my car.

We ran errands (drive ups) then headed home. We worked outside for a few minutes where we both got overheated so we came inside. Little Stella's cheeks were beet red so I used cool cloths to wipe her down and myself too.

I looked into this little girl's eyes, big and beautiful and I remembered her birth. My daughter laboring, I remained in the room until Stella was born. With honey red hair she arrived pink and crying. We all looked at this child and gave thanks for the miracle she gave us. My daughter.

My daughter was just six weeks pregnant when she spotted. An ultrasound revealed a grapefruit-sized tumor. Ovarian cancer. Four weeks later the tumor was so heavy it turned over on itself cutting off the blood flow to the ovary. They did emergency surgery to remove it. We weren't sure the baby would survive the procedure. Seven months later Stella was born, perfect in every way. Had it not been for Stella, my daughter would have died, never having known at 34 that she had cancer. By the time she was aware, it would have been too late.

As Stella pushed the baby stroller around with her baby in it, she had no idea that my mind had turned to the miracle of her birth. Two miracles, one birth.

Stella,
honey red hair,
hazel eyes,
full of life,
this is the color
of a miracle.
Two for one.
I can't calculate
the joy that 'whelms me
when I think
of their delivery.
My granddaughter's arrival
and the birth
of my daughter's
new life.
Moments like today
stop me
dead in my tracks
pausing
to give thanks
and praise.
So incredibly thankful.

Love always, Andrea