I can't say this was the easiest post to write...We wanted to inform you of some sorrowful news. Yesterday, we were informed by the doctor that I was in the midst of a miscarriage. The doctor and the nurses were more than helpful and were a great support as we heard the news. The doctor sent us home so that things could happen naturally.
but we know that God is in control...
Family and friends immediately responded and were at our side. God is so good in allowing us to be in such a great community with so much support. We both believed that this baby was going to be a girl, and as the due date was technically January 4, we believed that she was going to be born on January 2, St. Therese's birthday. (It was St. Therese that first clued me in that she might be pregnant when she was on a pilgrimage in Canada in April.) So, we have decided to honor our daughter by naming her Therese Marie. (Marie for Mary, the Mother of God)
"Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to the God, this is your spiritual act of worship" Romans 12:1
This was a verse from the second reading at our wedding, and little did we know how God was going to use it in our marriage. Even though we had planned on waiting a few more months to try having children, God had other plans. If you were at our wedding you heard our excited response of "YES!" When the priest asked us, "Will you accept children lovingly from God?!"
So, of course we were ecstatic when we found out that God had gifted us with life. We did have an ultrasound done early on, so we were blessed to hear and see the heartbeat of our little miracle. We were in AWE!
While we are going through a range of emotions and we know that God is holding us and our daughter in His arms. As one of our friends reminded us, our job as parents is to get our children to heaven, and we have succeeded in that!
Someone else shared that God in His mercy creates life, and we as parents were able to share in that creation, and sometimes God chooses to allow that life not to suffer or experience the pain of this world, yet wants them to spend their life in Eternity with Him. What a gift that we now have a saint standing before God interceding for us. What a gift that our daughter was able to pass from this earth into Eternity within my womb.
We know and trust that Jesus will hold our little one in His arms, until we can hold her in Heaven. Heaven is her home, and it will be the only home she ever knows! We have comfort in our faith and uniting our suffering with Christ and His mother, as Mary suffered the loss of her Son. We are comforted in knowing that we are the parents of a saint and will join with our daughter every time that we are at mass, and sing the "Holy, Holy, Holy" with all the saints and the angels before our Eucharistic Lord.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we go through this time of transition.
Just as we celebrated her life at conception, we will also celebrate her life in eternity. We will be having a Mass and burial for Therese Marie later this week.
We offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord, and trust that not our will, but His be done.
This prayer was shared with us and give us much hope as we remember our daughter.
Why, my Lord-dare I ask why?
She will not hear the whisper of the wind or see the beauty of her parents' face-she will not see the beauty of Your creation or the flame of a sunrise.
Why, my Lord?
"Why, My child-do you ask 'why'? Well, I will tell you why. You see, your child lives. Instead of the wind she hears the sound of angels singing before My throne. Instead of the beauty that passes she sees everlasting Beauty-she sees My face. She was created and lived a short time so the image of her parents imprinted on her face may stand before Me as their personal intercessor. She knows secrets of heaven unknown to men on earth.
She laughs with a special joy that only the innocent possess. My ways are not the ways of man. I create for My Kingdom and each creature fills a place in that Kingdom that could not be filled by another. She was created for My joy and her parents' merits. She has never seen pain or sin.
She has never felt hunger or pain. I breathed a soul into a seed, made it grow and called it forth."
I am humbled before you, my Lord, for questioning Your wisdom, goodness, and love. I speak as a fool-forgive me. I acknowledge Your sovereign rights over life and death. I thank You for the life that began for so short a time to enjoy so long an Eternity.
-- Mother M. Angelica
Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. We love you all and are grateful for you in our lives.
In His Arms,
Brian, Rachael and Therese Marie
4 comments:
You and Brian and your little saint will be in our prayers, Rach.
I love you three so much, I've been praying for you all. I can't wait to meet your little saint one day!
I had no idea. I am so sorry that you had to go through that. I will add your littel angel to our list of people we pray to for intercession. AND...you both are going to be the most loving and wonderful parents someday-God has many blessings in store for your family. He ALWAYS blesses His fathful! Love to you all!
Hey Rachel, I found your blog on the Ingrid&Isabel applause website for your little feature on their bellaband. I know it's been a couple of years and your family is beautiful now, but I wanted to let you know that I was intrigued by your posting about a little sibling for Therese Marie. I poked around a little more--I'm a Catholic also and I lost my Alice Tatiana at just about 10 weeks. I wasn't sick at all and it was heartbreaking to lose my baby so soon. Thank you for sharing the prayer you did from Mother Angelica and thank you for keeping a post up about your miscarriage. I can't tell you how much hope it gives me to see that you carried another child to term and that you witness to the soul and life Therese Maria has. I'm currently 10 weeks and 4 days into my second pregnancy and finding your blog was a bright spot this evening. Thank you!
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