V.Bee shares with us a personal reason why she's thankful this season, and where she's been for the past couple of weeks...
"I AM THANKFUL
For my newest grandchild....."
A slice of Life by V. Bee
November 24th,2005
Greetings, readers of the Slice of Life column. I apologize for being
away so long, but there have been many things going on in my life. The
highlight of these events is the appearance of my latest grandchild,
Joy Marie, born November 4th 2005. Due to complications beyond
doctors’ control, Joy she arrived into this world 6-8 weeks before the
time of her projected birth date. Needless to say, Joy’s dawning
has been both a happiness (hence, her name) and an enormous source of
worry for my son, daughter-in-law, myself, the other grandmother - even
the other five grandchildren were worried, for a time.
Starting out at a birth weight of only 3 pounds, one ounce, it looked,
at first, that she may be too tiny to survive. But doctors were
optimistic from the minute Joy was born, telling the parents that Joy
had all of her fingers, toes and her important organs were all
present. However, the same optimism was not immediately
shared by her parents, who were both further worried by all the tubes,
wires, apparatus and breathing tubes attached to Joy’s tiny body during
the first week of her life in an incubator.
I have to say, grandmother (me) was completely off the deep end, but I
couldn’t let my son and daughter-in-law hear that over the phone, or
see it on my face in person. Oh no... I told myself, keep a
brave face...don’t let ‘em see the tears. But on the inside, I
was crying. My son (James) and daughter-in-law (Cecelia, we call
her C) summoned the parish priest to the hospital. Their baby
girl was christened Joy Marie. We stood around the incubator and
prayed. C’s mother was in tears; I was still shell shocked.
Why did this have to happen? what did my son and daughter-in-law do to
deserve this? what sin could they have committed? It was one of
those moments when one questions a higher power’s wisdom.
Something the priest said during the baptism reached deep inside and
touched me. “God bless and strengthen this small soul, Lord,” Father
Thomas said, as he sprinkled holy water on all of us and on Joy’s
forehead. “I christen thee Joy Marie ------. Lord,
bless Joy Marie and help those of us mortals who love her keep her
close to our hearts. May she always have Your faith and blessing and
the faith and blessings of those who surround her, may You keep her
soul close to You.”
A strange calmness enveloped me. For the first time since Joy was
born, I felt peace. I looked down at her in the incubator.... and
I recognized..... I realized that Joy was in God’s hands, that it
wasn’t up to mere mortals.
I wasn’t alone. When I looked up, everyone had stopped crying and were smiling down at Joy.
Is there a higher power? some say yes. Some say no. All I know
is, from the day she was baptized, until today, Joy has been
gaining weight and growing stronger with each passing day. She is
nearly four pounds in weight as of the time of this writing, most all
of the tubes have been removed, only a light breathing tube remains in
her nose - and that will gone next week.
Do you thank the doctors for their hard work? yes. Do you thank the
nurses for their hard work? yes. But I think that there is also a
higher power, speaking for myself, that should never be forgotten to
give thanks to.
For more articles by V. Bee, visti her archives...
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