"I Want You To Be There"

Remember this post? Well, there's another part to the story.

Jake's mother is my good friend. And she has been dealing with a lot. A part of the story that I didn't mention is that when she found out about Jake's diagnosis, she was also 8 months pregnant.

That was a month ago. This past month has been filled with phone calls and emails and tears and updates and information and meals and child care. It's been filled with an outpouring of prayers, generosity, and kindness that has astounded me.

That baby that she's been carrying . . . number 8 . . . was a surprise. They weren't planning to have her. But after Jake's diagnosis, it occurred almost immediately to many, especially the doctors, that that baby's cord blood could be an enormous life-saving blessing to Jake.

Jake's mom and dad had talked about several different name possibilities for the baby. But after the diagnosis, they told Jake that he could name the baby. He thought about it for a minute and then said decidedly, "Hope."

I can't tell that story without crying.

Not too long ago, my friend told me, "I want you to be there." I was very touched and I also thought she was just saying that she would love to have me there. But she actually meant it.

I am so incredibly honored by that invitation.

Hope entered the world today and I was there to see it. I was holding her mother's hand and crying as I saw that beautiful baby be born. It was an incredibly spiritually uplifting experience. That family could use some sunshine and happiness and they got it in the form of a beautiful baby girl.

As I drove home from the hospital, the thought came to my mind, "I feel more spiritual in this moment than I could possibly ever feel from one hundred church sermons." This is what life is about -- life, babies, friendship, family, love, hope. This is the good stuff.

A few weeks ago, I left the hospital and came home and cried. I was so down and so sad from having seen Jake in discomfort and pain. I came home feeling like life is hard and unfair. And then today, I got to witness Ellie's (that's what they're calling her -- her middle name is Elizabeth) birth and I left that same hospital feeling happy, peaceful, uplifted. I am so grateful for that gift.

On my way in to the hospital, I saw the word "Hope" no less than three times without even trying. I smiled each time and took it as a joyful reminder of what was to come.

As I walked out of the hospital today, with a feeling of such happiness and peace in my heart, I stepped outside and felt the sun warm me, enhancing even more the feelings I was experiencing. And then I looked up ahead of me and I saw a woman walking toward me and she had a shirt on with four big letters -- HOPE.

I cannot help but think that those aren't all coincidences. The word "hope" everywhere, that super long cord (the doctors and nurses kept exclaiming that they had never seen one so long!), the abundance of cord blood, that beautiful little girl, and the lucky and loving family that just welcomed her to be a part. I cannot help but feel very full of HOPE for Jake, for Ellie, and for their family.

It was a beautiful experience. I haven't felt this good in a long time. It feels fantastic--beautiful, happy, and peaceful. And oh so uplifting.

Hope is grief's best music.

~Author Unknown