Early, at daybreak, she was placed in my arms. She was my first and last child to have been born at a birthing center, and after the necessary baths and clean-ups, we strapped our newborn daughter into a car seat, got into the car to travel an hours drive, and as we turned down the long- graveled driveway to the farm, I sighed. We were home. That afternoon as the sun was pouring through the west-facing window I was in bed with my newborn daughter in my arms and how I marveled.
Today I continue to marvel
If I could have written a story that day of the thoughts I was pondering in my heart as I held her, and the gamut of dreams and hopes I carried through the ensuing years for her future it would not looked anything like the reality of what her life is today, twenty-two years later. Yet, I still marvel.
It is truly Rose's story to tell, it is not necessary for me give the details here and I only possess one perspective of a complex situation. This journey has changed me in more ways than I could express, but my sight is staunch today as I boldly look at the future for His total redemptive plan, I refuse to see anything less. What started in 2013 reached disproportional limits by 2014, and from there we hung on trying to stay afloat, constantly praying, sometimes with deep wailing, and trusting, always trusting the LORD.
She lives with her beautiful daughter four and 1/2 hours away from us at the present. She is working full-time and going to school. Neither she nor her daughter have contact or support from her estranged husband. To say I am not proud of her would be nothing short of a lie. I am tremendously proud of this courageous daughter of mine. And I marvel at His grace.
Happy Birthday sweet Rose!
"The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." Isaiah 35:1
