A beautiful story

Back in October, a couple that we knew in high school had a baby. Little John was a beautiful little boy and his parents beamed with joy in every photo. They had been wanting to have a baby for quite a while and it had been difficult.

But L.J. had a problem bigger than his little baby self could handle - he was born three months premature, weighing only 2 pounds. He was so small that he could wear his parents' wedding rings on his little arm.

For such a tiny little man, LJ fought courageously. He seemed to make progress every day, growing stronger in his little lungs and little heart.

LJ's parents posted his progress every day on a blog for him. Hans and I read it each day, cheering on his progress and crying over the beautiful pictures of the day that Jack and Jessica got to hold their son the first time. We prayed for his little body to grow stronger and healthier. We watched each blog post full of hope.

And we cried great buckets of tears the day that Jessica and Jack lost their beautiful little boy. My heart ached for their loss. We didn't realize how much we had come to love their son just by reading their blog.

Throughout the whole ordeal, I was truly astonished by Jess' courage, strength and trust in God. Her faith in His plan for her family never ceased. I was filled with deep admiration for her optimism and hope. One day she wrote:

"There is no logical earthly explanation or justification for what happened.  Only divine.  As we move through the Advent season, I can’t help but think that God is using our story to illustrate his power over death, over pain, over suffering.  A good friend reassured me that we will be greeted again by LJ one day because we believe God is who he says he is!"

How many of us could say that we would react this way? I think it'd be so easy to blame God, to be angry at Him. Yet here is this amazingly strong woman demonstrating what true faith is.

And in his infinite goodness, God has blessed their family. Only a few weeks after LJ passed, Jack and Jessica were approached about a family looking for someone to adopt their daughter's soon-to-be-born child.

In an amazing twist of fate, little Grace Caroline was born last Thursday and officially joined the Allen family on Saturday. She is a beautiful little girl and I can't help think how incredibly lucky she is. She is so lucky to have a birth mother who loves her and wants the absolute best for her - even if that means letting her go. And she has two parents who have loved her since they first knew she existed. I haven't talked to Jessica in many years, but I know that she was born to be a mother. And she will be an incredible mother to little Grace, and Jack will be an equally wonderful father. Their home will always be full of much love.

I know that the Allens will never forget LJ. We will never forget LJ, either. His story touched our hearts deeply. We know that he has gone to live with our Father in Heaven. He was so innocent and pure that he did not need to endure the trials of this lifetime and our Father took him right back home. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the priceless example of love, strength, and faith that the Allens have demonstrated. And equally full of joy for the new family they have begun.

Congratulations, Jack, Jess, and baby Grace. And thank you for sharing your story with us.