Today - September 1, 2011. (Well, it's after midnight now, but I've been distracted w/ a fussy baby - Rachel - and Pat and Isaac returning from the Packer game. Fun!) Anyway, today was
Noah's due date. Today should have been spent holding a brand new baby or anxiously awaiting his arrival. That just wasn't meant to be. God had other plans. BIG plans that included bringing home this beautiful baby boy.
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| Elijah, Jonathan, Rachel |
Of course Jonathan will never replace Noah. How could he? But I will admit, the distraction that the paperwork and trip to bring him home provided was a welcome one. I know many would still say it wasn't a wise choice to jump in so soon, but I KNEW the Lord wanted us to bring him home 4 or 5 days before we found out we lost Noah. Noah opened our hearts and minds to a 7th child. How could we say "no"? How do you say "no" to God's call on your life? You can't, at least for not very long. Ask Jonah about that one...
So today was a tough day for me. It was compounded by the fact that a friend of mine was at the hospital going through delivery of 20 week baby. :-( Please pray for her, her husband, and her family and 4 children.
As I was thinking about what to post tonight, I remembered that I never posted photos from the memorial service we had for Noah, or about the blessings we received that week. First, if you are not familiar with it,
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is an absolutely wonderful organization. Professional photographers volunteer their time to come and take photos of the baby that has already gone to see Jesus. Then the family receives a CD of the photos...all totally FREE of charge. I knew of this organization beforehand, and I was so thrilled when the nurse asked if we wanted someone to come in. This was an amazing blessing for us! I'm glad the hospital staff is "clued" in to this organization now.
There is no footprint too small to leave an imprint on this world.
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| My wedding ring on Noah's foot... |
Secondly, we were also told that day in the hospital that the 2 funeral homes in the city offer their services FREE of charge for miscarried/still born babies. I had no idea that they did this! I was so happy to hear this too. After having a couple of early miscarriages, I remember being "jealous" of a friend that got to have a funeral for her baby lost at 16 weeks. What a strange thing to be jealous of, huh? But if you've ever lost a baby early, you understand. I feel a service helps make the baby "real" and that his life mattered. Of course a baby matters at ANY age, but having others come together gives some closure too. Hard to explain unless you've been there, done that. We were also overwhelmed and humbled by friends who brought us meals during that time. It took me awhile to recover physically and it was hard to motivate myself to cook, so the meals were a true blessing. We are so grateful for the love shown us during that time.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
Matt. 5:4
So, we did have a memorial service or funeral if you will for Noah. It was very small. Just Pat's mom and the Gibson family - our pastor and his family at the funeral home. It was a very special time and as you'll see from the photos below, it wasn't all serious.
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Pastor Dan sharing his message that really touched me. I wish now we would have recorded it. One of the things he shared was from the book "Heaven is For Real", chapter 17. The book is about the time a little boy spent in Heaven and came back to tell about it. It's a GREAT book. But what PD shared was about how he met his little sister in Heaven, his sister that his mom had miscarried. Very touching indeed!
I got 8 white roses in Noah's memory...one from each of us. |
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| A dear friend brought us this cake a couple days before the service. How thoughtful! We served it after the service. The missing part of the heart? On Elijah's fingers. :-) |
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| Daddy and Elijah |
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| Birthday buds - Ben and Isaac share a birthday in April! |
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| Birthday buds - Jake and Anna share a birthday too! What are the odds, huh? :-) Only God. |
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| Sarah and Ashley - No, they don't share a birthday! |
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| Rachel is not enjoying the lovin'. |
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| Blue frosting...we all had blue lips and tongues! Well, some of us more than others... |
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| Our family of 8 on April 2nd...soon to add Jonathan. |
My sweet Noah...I will always love you and miss you dearly.You will always be in our hearts. I look forward to the time when I can meet you and your other siblings in Heaven someday. In the meantime, have fun playing with Jesus! We love you!
"Cradled in the arms of the Lord, wrapped in His joy & love, I wait until we meet again, together in heaven above."
