Waiting

As each of my boys' birthdays come and go, I reminisce about how they came into this world. The day I found out I was pregnant, the baby bump, unrelenting morning sickness, heartburn and insomnia, the fun maternity clothes, the first time a stranger commented on my pregnancy, the immediate connection and overwhelming love I felt for each of our unborn babies, labor and delivery, feeling like I was a part of a miracle. For me, pregnancy was more than a means to a baby. It was an unexpected healing and breath of life. It was literally a matter of life for my child who would grow from a bean-sized embryo to a 21" long little person while inside my body. And within my heart, it was life-giving. It was the first time I would experience true, deep, unwavering love, devotion and protection between parent and child.

One of my dearest friends has been trying to have a baby for nearly three years. She and her husband are wonderful people and will make amazing parents. They long for a child, and I often wonder how God will deliver this gift to them. The experience of pregnancy was such an incredible gift to me, and I think it would be equally amazing for them. My friend lost each of her parents before her 22nd birthday, and I know she has longed to feel that connection between parent and child again.

They started an IVF cycle on Zach's 6th birthday. I'm sure I would think of them every day during this period even if it hadn't started on his birthday, but all of these motherly feelings are so totally on my mind right now. I weep knowing how hard they have tried to have a baby and still have empty arms.

I know that God brings families together through many ways. And I know that He has a perfect plan for them and that His way is not ours. I continue to lift my sweet friends up in prayer and try to wait patiently with them while His plan unfolds. I know that He will bless their home with children in His time... in His way.

While they wait, I pray for peace and faith to dwell within their home and hearts. His plan has taken longer than theirs and it may not look like theirs when all is said and done, but I pray that they will cling to His promise that His ways are far beyond anything we can imagine.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9