Top Post for May 2011: She’s Two

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I can’t believe it. This week we celebrated Tarah’s birthday and already, she’s two. Her birth story is such a blessing to tell and here’s why:

In 2007, Matt and I discovered that I was pregnant and we were thrilled to anticipate the sixth addition to our merged, growing family. The day after telling our children about the newly expected child, at ten weeks, the pregnancy terminated and our baby was not to enter this world. We were very heartbroken over the loss.   We asked God “why?” and received no clear answer. We tried to explain to our children that God must have wanted this baby with Him and that He would give us another baby if that was His plan. And we began to pray.

Our children prayed, specifically, our youngest daughter, Tristina, very faithfully for a baby sister.

Now to be perfectly honest, I was still a little angry with God for taking our child. Had we not endured enough heartache with other situations?  My mom was in heaven as a result of leukemia. My daughter, Taylor, has MPS which causes severe decreased quality of life and shortened quantity of life.  Why more pain and suffering?

I remember one night specifically as I tucked Tristina into bed and she started to pray. In the middle she stopped. “Mommy? Why don’t you pray for a baby sister for me? I think God would listen to you.”

What a challenge! How much did I really trust God? I had been praying for months, but my prayers did not seem to be getting answered. This time, there was something different as I began to pray. Something about verbalizing my trust in God to Him. By the time I finished praying, I could hardly speak and my heart was at peace. My sweet daughter was smiling and quietly drifted off to sleep. Something had happened in my heart that only the Holy Spirit could do; the bitterness fell in the middle of my outpouring and God had given me total peace, even without a change in the situation.

Another story of how God has answered prayer in our lives:

Shortly thereafter, God showed His mercy to us once again and I became pregnant.

The due date for our sweet baby was May 14.  My dearest friend on earth, Mom, was born on May 10, 1938.

God’s plan all along was to provide a blessing that would help my heart heal and give me a reason to rejoice at this time of year when I would desire my mom’s physical presence so much.

And so little Tarah Charlotte was born on May 10, 2009. Tarah shares a birthday with the grandmother she only knew in Heaven AND Tarah was born on Mother’s Day.

The very day God had specifically chosen for her arrival.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful girl. I cherish every day with you.