Thursday, September 2, 2010

My dearest God,

Jenni turned 40 today. As I called to sing her the Swedish version of Happy Birthday, I was transported back to her birth. A really big baby, 10 lbs. 10 1/2 oz, 22 inches long, she was a celebrity at the hospital. Looking like a three-month-old baby, she had difficulty breathing just a few days after her birth. I had awakened from a dream feeling my body rising above my lifeless body when suddenly I felt panic strike me and then I heard my friend scream that she was not breathing. We rushed her to my doctor's office just a couple miles away. They grabbed her from my arms. Too much mucous had blocked her airway. In minutes they brought her back to me safe and crying. For months I didn't leave her side.

Jenni came home from France to take care of me when I had breast cancer. And then she was struck with ovarian cancer discovered when she spotted at six weeks into her second pregnancy. Not only did they get all the cancer, seven months later she delivered miracle baby Stella Rose.

Jenni was a gift 40 years ago and she remains a gift. She is not only my daughter; she is my friend. I am so grateful for her life.

Thank you,
Loving God,
for blessing me
with Jenni.
Thank you
for sparing her
along the way.
Bless her
with joy,
I pray.

Love, Andrea