Some friends recently posted
this message to their Facebook pages, & I finally took the time to watch it. It is a beautiful message of hope during a time when men (and women) could so easily be living in fear. I just wanted to share a few thoughts that I had as I watched & afterward when I pondered the message. Here's the video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EMwKxmTLaCs
I might have made it through this video without crying if they hadn't included the shot of the baby in the NICU. After seeing that precious baby in the isolette I, of course, started thinking of my own experience with my daughter & the feelings that my husband & I had throughout that journey. I can honestly say that it was a hard time & one that I wouldn't willingly undertake again. But, as Elder Nelson spoke about his feelings as that plane was falling toward the earth, how he felt at peace, while other passengers were experiencing completely opposite feelings, I related to his feelings of peace & acceptance. Not knowing whether my daughter was going to live was hard, but because I believe that my family has been sealed together for time & all eternity, I was blessed with a feeling of peace & hope that even if she didn't live here on earth, I would eventually get to be with her again & raise her as my own.
I know that there are so many things that we can be fearful about in these times. Many people are without jobs or a secure income, people are losing their homes, divorce is common, children & teens are facing awful challenges at school & from their peers, & the list goes on & on. These experiences are not easy. In fact, they can be down right terrible, but when we have the hope of Jesus Christ & the faith that this life is not the end, we can face these challenges with confidence & peace.
While we were down in Glendale for Christmas, we decided to have Savannah's baby blessing. For more information on what a baby blessing is, feel free to visit this link to learn more. Usually, these blessings are given at church, but since we live away from our family, we decided it would be easier to do it at my brother-in-law's house while we were visiting so that we could have our family attend. Savannah wore the blessing gown that her great-great grandmother was christened in. This gown is over 100 years old. It's been worn by my mother & her siblings, me & my siblings, many of my cousins & by my other daughter for all of our blessings. Everyone who's been blessed in it has their name embroidered on the slip. It's a pretty neat tradition! I made the little headband that she wore. She screamed through the whole blessing, so it ended up being pretty short, but it was still beautiful. We are so happy to have this little beauty in our family, and especially happy that I was able to carry her full term & that she is healthy & growing. She had her 1-month check-up the other day & she weighed in at an amazing 10 pounds (in comparison, I'm pretty sure Sharon didn't hit 10 pounds until she was about 7 months old). It's definitely different having a normal sized baby! She's such a good baby. She nurses well & has been sleeping pretty well, too. She's already grown out of her newborn clothes & is starting to get some rolls on her legs. It was so nice to be able to celebrate our healthy girl with family & spend some time together! I hope your Christmas season was filled with love & laughter!
