Loving Angel Marie; Starting a Blog

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others….” Matthew 5:14-16

 

   I will start by saying I (Jenny) have never blogged before, nor have I ever had a diary or written more than two entries in a journal. I have often wished to start a journal at various times in my life but never been able to keep up with it. Well, “If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans.” My guess is that some of you who know me well got a little laugh out of me starting a website too ;) and so, humbly and prayerfully we begin our blog. Luckily, “God does not call the equipped, he equips the called.”… In all seriousness, John and I truly feel the Lord has been preparing our hearts all along for Angel Marie and we have been chosen for her and she for us. Having worked in a pregnancy center for five years and currently serving on the board for nearly four years, I am no stranger to the idea of “choosing life more abundantly.” Now more than ever I am learning, and Angel Marie is teaching us, what that truly means.

   I have started this blog for several reasons. Foremost, we wish to honor our precious daughter and the dignity and sanctity of her life. Secondly, we hope to share her life and our journey with you, while keeping you updated on our pregnancy as it progresses. Finally, we feel called and it is our hope that someday we will share our experiences (whatever they may be) with others facing adverse prenatal diagnosis.

   Angel Marie is now and always will be a part of our family. She is a daughter, sister, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter, but most of all, she is a Child of God. She is an active little girl, kicking, flipping and even sucking her thumb (as we saw on our last sonogram).  She can hear (and has been able to do so for nearly 8 weeks) and we sing and talk to her often. She has sleep and wake cycles and, like her mom and sister, is active in the evening and sleepy in the morning. No matter how hard it may be to lose her, we want to honor her life and celebrate her as much as we can each day in the short time we may (or may not) have with her here on earth. We love her no matter what and want to share with others. We want to share that her life here has meaning and a divine purpose.

    As more time passes and we are over the initial shock of receiving a terminal diagnosis, we are growing stronger and are more at peace with sharing our experience, so please don't feel bad about asking about her and talking about her. She has already deeply  touched our lives and so many others. A mutual friend, Katie, on facebook facing her own adverse prenatal diagnosis writes ”Knowing the incredible God we serve and trusting in him wholeheartedly, Patrick(her husband) and I are at peace because we know that God's will is GOOD and RIGHT and PERFECT. Every day that this baby's heart beats is a miracle and we pray that Christ would use this situation to equip us to mirror him to the world.” We could not agree more.

   Finally, it is our hope that we will someday be able to share our story with others in similar situations, that this web site might be a resource and source of hope. Feel free to post and comment and share your words of encouragement on each post. I have read several articles and studies that state as many as 80 to 90 to 95% (depending on the study) of mothers receiving adverse prenatal diagnosis choose to terminate their pregnancies. This is truly tragic. So many have already helped us along the way (more on that to come in another post), and I pray that God will provide us with opportunities in due time, to share his light to others as well.