Last weekend marked one year since Noah was born. We didn't really know how to commemorate it - who does? We talked about several different things - planting trees, donating books or premie clothing, monetary donations - but when it comes down to it, we just wanted to be with people who had loved and supported us, walked with us, and made five trips to the airport in one day.
The week leading up to Noah's birthday was highly emotional for me. I am so glad, so blessed, that Dave was able to be home (not deployed) at this time.
We had dinner with Katie (Tom was stuck in AZ for the night), and fellow first-pregnancy-Trisomy 18 family, Kelly and Dan (who now have three lovely, healthy children). While there were many families who loved and supported us and Noah, if we were to have invited everyone, it would have been too many people and felt less personal. Katie made fresh peach pie - which many people who where here on Noah's birthday last year will remember as the best pie in the entire world. For real, that pie healed and comforted many wounds last summer. As such, Katie gave me a recipe card for "Noah's Famous Peach Pie."
All in all, it was a quiet day - a normal day - which is what we wanted this year.
I saw three individual signs of God's love for us on Noah's birthday.
1. As I spent some time working in the yard, I noticed that my one surviving sunflower (of the 20+ I had originally planted) had finally bloomed. Additionally, I found a rogue sunflower seedling sprouting in the grass and repotted it.
2. We received our first letter from our Compassion child. In April, Dave and I decided to sponsor a child through Compassion International. I chose Saju because his birthday was close to Noah's.
3. God kept us busy with God. We spent the morning with our Pastor at a New Members class to become members of the church that's nurtured us these past hard years. I know that's not an "obvious" sign of God, but it kept us occupied, which is what I needed - not to dwell, but to be busy and with other God-loving christians.
"and whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." -Matthew 18:5
Oh Annie...I remember wondering what I was going to 'do' for Matthew's birthday and seriously, just as you said...what does one do? In the end, we didn't do much of anything, and frankly, we were ok with that. We were somewhat disappointed by some of our family's involvement, and decided that whatever we do for Matthew is really more for us--he is in a perfect place and one day, I'll get my fill of celebrating with him. Until then...on this earth, we didn't need more pressure to do the perfect thing, or have the perfect party or whatever--we love him and remember him and miss him the same...every.single.day.
ReplyDeleteSending you lots of love. I never have more than 2 minutes a day to do much of anything, but I try to keep up and keep precious hearts lifted in my prayers!