Naomi Ruth 💕

Today is my baby sister's birthday. She would be 13 years old! That's how old I was when she came and blessed our family for 2 precious days. 

If there is one thing I could tell you about what I learned from this difficult yet beautiful life-changing experience, it is this: God Answers Prayer. He doesn't always answer our prayers the way we want Him to or think He should, but He does answer. 

It would be easy to be mad at God, which my little 13 year old self definitely was, but that would be the product of me focusing only on the death - the heartache of loosing my sister when I expected to live my whole life with her. After all I PRAYED for her! My sisters and I asked Jesus over and over for another baby in the family, and she came! She just didn't get to stay with us as long as we had expected. 

The truth is, death is part of life. In our culture we tend to almost be in denial about the reality of death. All of us will die. There's no way around it. I hear people all the time say they don't believe in God, because how could God let my mother die? How could He let my brother die? My sister, my son? It's as if everyone else was immortal and God just chose to let certain people die. 

I think most would agree, the thing that hurts the most is when death is unexpected. Maybe more so when it happens "too soon" when a life is young and fresh or maybe just half way through. 

Getting over the initial shock, confusion and anger with God, I chose to thank Him for sending me my little sister. I thanked Him for answering my prayers. I thanked Him for the full 48 hrs of life she had outside the womb. I thanked Him for giving her breath for those two days, though she was blue and often had difficulty breathing. Thank You God!

Even now tears come to my eyes as I think of the immense blessing she was to me and my family. She brought us closer and blessed us in so many ways. It wasn't what we expected, but it was good.

And as my sweet Mom went through all this, she said she was honored to give God another child - He chose her to carry another human being into this world. 

Thank YOU God! Thank You for answering the prayers of my sisters and I and granting us a precious sister to hold and rock and sing to for two whole days! Thank You that we got to dress her in little outfits and change her little diaper and wrap her up all snug and warm. Thank You for all the friends and family who surrounded us, prayed for us and took care of us. Thank You for most of all for Your sweet, sweet presence that surrounded us and held us close to Your heart. You, You are good! And I love You.

#NaomiRuth #13yearsold #deathispartoflife #Edwardssyndrome #trisome13 #GodisalwaysGOOD