Wednesday, May 02, 2007

My Genetic Miracle

I’d start to fall asleep and the monitors would wake me with what seemed like never-ending beeps, telling me that my soon-to-be newborn’s heartbeat was decelerating. I was told that I was only being kept for observation and that I had no reason to worry. As I fell in and out of sleep, I was constantly being reminded of where I was and why I was there—from the belts digging into my abnormally large stomach to the antiseptic smell that loomed all around me.
The next morning, the doctor came to check on me. He explained that he’d induce my labor early. He assured me that “the baby will have a better chance of survival if we take him now.” I just kept repeating, “Survival? What are you saying?” My heart started pounding incredibly hard, my mind raced, and my entire body trembled with fear.
Six hours after the doctor started the drug to induce my labor, it was time to deliver my baby. I was rushed to the delivery room with pain and fear battling against each other. The pain was so great that I’d pass out and when I came to, only seconds had gone by. My body shook involuntarily from head to toe. Why I was so frightened still baffles me now. I’d done it twice before, so I knew what I was doing. I knew that in only minutes I’d be holding my third of God’s blessings, and I did just that. They let me hold him for a minute, all bundled up and beautiful. I could see his long, sparse lashes in the corners of his eyes, even though they were closed. His cheeks were so plump and pink, and his little bow tie lips were pursed. He was every mother’s dream. Then they swooped him off to the nursery. The hard part is over, or so I thought, and I fell into an exhausted sleep.
A pediatrician came in a while later to discuss my son’s exam. I could tell by the look on her face that something was wrong. She wanted him transferred to Children’s Hospital because they have specialists there to deal with newborns like my son. The rest of the discussion—“dysmorphic features,” “deformed feet,” and “hernias” was a blur.
Four hours after I gave birth we arrived at the hospital, where I was hopeful to receive some answers. Day after day and test after test I waited. A genetics specialist finally broke the news to me. She told me that my son has a chromosome deletion, a genetic disorder that is too rare to have a name. My first thought was: Did I do this? I didn’t take my vitamins the first few months because they made me sick. Several times I forgot to drink my morning orange juice. I wondered about the cold medicine I took. Why wasn’t I more careful? The geneticist apparently could tell what I was thinking, and she explained that it occurs in one out of three pregnancies. Only one out of ten thousand babies live to be born. So the simple fact that I was holding my son was truly one of God’s miracles.
The day finally came when my son was healthy enough to go home. I went through CPR, heart monitor, and car seat classes before we were released. I’d anticipated this moment from the day he was born, but it wasn’t like I expected. We were home but a few hours before I was ready to bring him back to the hospital. The heart monitor constantly sounded, his feedings were slow and tedious, and I felt that at any moment he could go into arrest and I wasn’t going to be prepared. I felt like a first-time mother, constantly worrying about every detail of his well being.
We’ve been home now for about four months and my son is just as wonderful as I ever hoped. I continue to do research on his specific chromosome deletion, and I am learning more than I ever wanted to know about genetic disorders. Sometimes I watch other parents and hope that they cherish and appreciate every milestone their child achieves. My son may never reach them. He will, however, reach his own milestones at his own pace and for that, I am grateful. When he does something as simple as a new smile or makes eye contact, my heart leaps with joy and swells with pride for his accomplishments. There are few precious gifts in the world and they should never be taken for granted.

Life’s many choices!

Life have many choices,the choices we make determine who we are.It is always good to leave our life by choice and not by chance.Each person creates their life experience through the choices they make every day and are therefore responsible for the satisfaction or lack of it that they're getting out of life. Here is a list to keep.

The most destructive habit..............................
Worry
The greatest Joy.............................................

Giving
The greatest loss......................

Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work....................

Helping others
The ugliest personality trait....................

Selfishness
The most endangered species........

Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource....................

Our youth
The greatest "shot in the arm"...........

Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome......................

Fear
The most effective sleeping pill.........

Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease................

Excuses
The most powerful force in life..........................

Love
The most dangerous pariah......................

A gossiper
The world's most incredible computer.......

The brain
The worst thing to be without.........................

Hope
The deadliest weapon.............................

The tongue
The two most power-filled words.................

"I Can"
The greatest asset.........................................

Faith
The most worthless emotion......................

Self-pity
The most beautiful attire................................

SMILE!
The most prized possession.......................

Integrity
The most powerful channel of communication.......

Prayer
The most contagious spirit....................

Enthusiasm

To the WORLD, YOU may be ONE person;but to ONE person, YOU may be the WORLD!

Life has many choices . . . and Eternity has two"


A life without purpose is a languid, drifting thing; Every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves: This day let me make a sound beginning, for what we have hitherto done is naught!

****Thomas A. Kempis

THE POWER OF PRAYER

A poorly dressed woman with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store.She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries.
She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.
The grocer scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once.
Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can."
Grocer told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have a charge account at his store.
Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family.The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?"
The woman replied, "Yes sir." "O.K" he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries."
She hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.
The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down.
The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it."
The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.
The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.


It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said:

"Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands."

The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence
The woman thanked him and left the store.The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said;
"It was worth every penny of it .. Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs."

THE POWER OF PRAYER: After reading this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do.
Just stop right now, and say a prayer of thanks for your own good fortune.Then please e-mail this to all your friends and relatives.
I believe if you will send this testimony out with prayer in faith, you will receive what you need God to do in your and your families' life.
So dear heart, trust God to heal the sick, provide food for the hungry, clothes and shelter for those that don't have as we do. Amen & Amen
Don't break this, please!Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards.

May you always walk with Angels.

Remain Bless.

Man Gave Up his Son's Life To Save His Son's Friend.

After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church's pastor slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon for the evening, briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service that evening. in the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service.With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak."A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the pacific coast," he began, "when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to the shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized."The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story. The aged minister continued with his story, "grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy he would throw the other end of the life line. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and he also knew that his son's friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. As the father yelled out, "i love you, son!" he threw out the lifeline to his son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night . . . his body was never recovered.

By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister's mouth.

"The father," he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend. How great is the love of god that he should do the same for us. Our heavenly father sacrificed his only begotten son that we could be saved. i urge you to accept his offer to rescue you and take a hold of the life line he is throwing out to you in this service.". . . With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room.The pastor again walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon with an invitation at the end. However, no one responded to the appeal. Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story,” politely stated one of the boys, "but i don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian.""Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at his worn bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, he once again looked up at the boys and said, "it sure isn't very realistic, is it? But, I’m standing here today to tell you that story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for god to give up his son for me. You see --- I was that father and your pastor is my son's friend."

Remember John 3:16,

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life

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