...bailey's story...


Our story is a story about a MIRACLE. It is not the kind of miracle that is so often shared in Christian circles. We have heard stories about untreatable cancer that disappeared and of a child that was never supposed to walk or talk and is now a healthy adult. These are often the kinds of stories people share with you when you are experiencing difficult circumstances. Stories about the TRAGEDY that was avoided or the near miss that is now in the rear view mirror of life. We value these types of stories and we CELEBRATE them!

Ours was not that kind of story. Our daughter Bailey Hope was born on February 20, 2009. She died on August 13, 2010. The eighteen months in between were horrible and heart wrenching as we experienced our worst fears coming true. We were not rescued FROM heartache and tragedy.

Our miracle was that we were joined IN this journey by friends and family that gave of themselves and by our GOD who held us in unexplainable ways. This is our story. We do not share it to garner pity. There are others who have similar stories. There are so many others who have more tragic stories.

We share our story because it is impossible to talk about our beautiful daughter, without talking about our beautiful God. We must talk about our daughter. We must talk about our God. It is the MIRACLE behind the MIRACLE.





Tuesday, 28 December 2010

Season of Pause

Our experience with the life and death of our daughter Bailey has not ended.  It does not sit tied up in a nice, neat, and easily understood package.  We are not who we were, nor are we who we will be.  Heather and I continue to "sit" in a place of allowing and longing to be changed by this experience.  We are acutely aware of our desperate need for God.  There is an intermingled sense of profound sadness and of genuine worship for Jehovah Shammah (ever present one) in our hearts and in our home.  We are taking an intentional season of pause with the hope that we will emerge healthy and whole, both as individuals and as a family.  It is our prayer that this wound will heal into a scar that is a visible and visceral reminder of His faithfulness.