The warmth from the August sun absorbed by the concrete blocks of the parking garage of the Allegheny General Hospital was not enough to ward off the chill that David and I felt as we clung together. Clinging like shipwrecked survivors to a dinghy --quite sure we were NOT ready to face the storm of the diagnosis just given to us by the doctor.
An ultrasound is usually a happy event, that first peek at the life not yet seen. But not that day. The grim face of the physician spoke volumes, even in his silence. They suggested that we terminate and quickly as "he" was already 23 weeks. We walked away knowing that God, in His sovereignty, could redeem even this, but in my flesh, I was terrified. We had no further ultrasounds. The months passed agonizingly slow, yet somehow they flew by. David named him Zachary because the name meant, "remembered by God."
We were extremely protective of this potential diagnosis and with the exception of a few close friends and our family, we told no one. But, in those months when fear would paralyze me, I learned how to pray. And, how to surrender.
We were extremely protective of this potential diagnosis and with the exception of a few close friends and our family, we told no one. But, in those months when fear would paralyze me, I learned how to pray. And, how to surrender.
Hours before daybreak, we made our way through the Pennsylvania, snowy, bitterly cold January morning. And, about 9:45 AM on Friday, January 17, Zachary entered our lives. 6 pounds and 15 oz and perfect. I fell in love with this creation, who had huge dimples like his dad and a smile that melted my heart.
21 years have passed. Zachary makes me proud every day as he manages two jobs while he endeavors to graduate from Liberty University in May 2018 -- debt free. He regularly studies for his LSAT, which he plans to take in June. And yet, with all his responsibilities, he always finds time for his family. I love the way he comes in from work and seeks me out and asks me about my day, the way he asks me to have coffee with him. The texts that say, "I'm praying for you." I love that his dad and his brothers are his best guy friends.
He's becoming everything I'd dreamed he'd be: just like his father, who was like his father, all seeking to become like their heavenly Father--another Balty to leave a legacy, "remembered by God."
He's becoming everything I'd dreamed he'd be: just like his father, who was like his father, all seeking to become like their heavenly Father--another Balty to leave a legacy, "remembered by God."
Comments