My Brother's Gift

Since we spent Christmas in Montana with my in-laws this year, I had to do my gift exchange with my family through the postal service.  This isn't really a problem...except for the fact that my family tends to put things off until the last minute...especially my youngest brother.  A week or so after we returned from Montana, my brother mentioned that he still needed to send me money as a gift because he didn't know what to get me (the same dilemma that my husband, mother-in-law, and sister-in-laws all faced).  The last thing that I want to do is take my baby brother's hard-earned cash, so I had a really honest conversation with him in which I shared that all I really want is a baby.  Holding back tears, I told him that the greatest gift that he could give me would be to pray daily for me, that either the Lord bless me with a child, or that He would remove this desire from my heart.  My brother excitedly agreed to my gift request.

Fast forward to this week, when I shared the news of our pregnancy with him.  He assured me that he has been praying, nearly daily, for me.  He also shared that his prayers haven't simply been "Lord, please make my sister pregnant", but rather, "Lord, please help my sister to embrace this path that You've made for her".  Oh, how I echo that prayer!

I'm overwhelmed by how many people are praying for me and for this child.  But when the doctors have no conclusive answer as to why my last three pregnancies ended in loss, I feel that I have no other choice but to cry out in prayer and ask others--sometimes even complete strangers--to pray for me and this child as well.  Please continue to pray.

As I reflect on my brother's gift, I recognize just how blessed I am to be part of such a caring family.  This journey has definitely been a struggle for my husband and me, but it affects my parents and brothers (and sister-in-law) as well.  Between my sister-in-law and me, my poor parents have lost four grandbabies!  And yet, they hold onto the hope that God's plan includes the title of "grandparents" for them and "parents" for us.