The day began as I thought it would...contractions; there followed what I thought was a normal Lamaze delivery; it ended with what felt like a nightmare. Hope was born and whisked out of the delivery room, with her heartrate dropping; a doctor whom Corky went to high school with managed to get the three-branched ventilator tubes through her little mouth, down her throat. The nurse came to the recovery room to tell me and Corky: she may not live.
These unexpected and terrifying words began what was an intense twenty-eight day journey of faith. And it was not just our faith, but we were sustained, and Hope was healed through the power of the prayers of our community of faith: family, friends in ministry and newly converted Romnichel (Gypsies) who were attending our church
On the eighth day, Jesus walked into the Neonatal Care Unity and removed the ventilator tubes, and Hope breathed on her own. Twenty days later, she left Moses Cone Hospital, completely healed.
And those who heard her sing today with the church choir ("The Comforter Has Come"!!) would never suspect there had been anything wrong with her lungs. She can sing just about anything but I love to hear her sing (especially with her sister Emma): "This is the air I breathe...Your Very Presence Living in me!" It is the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, who gave resurrection life to her nearly a quarter of a century ago.
Happy Birthday Hope!
3 comments:
For some reason as I was checking out your blog today, I was remembering the class with you, Eric Whitaker and I (History of the Holiness Movement). I enjoyed how conversational it was. We talked about history and our lives.
Now I'm nostalgic too.
I always remember that class with fondness as well. Great students, great material, great dialogue. What I don't remember with fondness is you two locking me out of the class....
that must have been a week you were being too evangelical.
;)
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