Seed Pearls

It’s “The Girl” upon invitation to be a “Guest Blogger” for Consider Brenda (“The Mama” to me :-) ).  The Husband was off work yesterday, so I took the day off to spend with him working in Baby Girl’s nursery.  The Mama, being the great The Mama and The Future Gramma that she is, had come to help us with some décor.  While she was there, I shared a story with her that she wanted me to share with you all, and it is my pleasure to do so.  :)

Like every story, there’s always a back story that goes with it.  I am not going to share all of the details of the back story right now (maybe I’m asking for a future Guest Blogger invite… just kidding!), but I’ll give you a little bit.  As you probably know by now, I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes about 25 years ago.  You know, right after the invention of the wheel (and thankfully the discovery of insulin) and just before The Rachel haircut and Beanie Babies became “things”.  In my high school years, I made the massive mistake of watching my least favorite movie of all time.  Steel Magnolias.  I’d rather watch every Nightmare on Elm Street movie ever made than to watch that one again.  So, with that movie, my fear of having children began.  I love children.  Always have.  The outcome of that movie (“based on a true story”, of course) just scared me from the top of my ponytail to the toes of my Timberlands. 

Anyway, fast forward to 2010, when I met this guy who I decided I might just want to marry.  In May of 2012, I did.  The thoughts on having children – while still scary – pushed further and further up in my mind.   My endocrinologist told me that, before I could even think about it, I had to get my blood sugars down.  Way down.  Like, all the time.  Here’s where I’ll leave some gaps in my story, but I had this goal of getting a certain measurement of average glucose fructosamine reading below 335 before he would let me even consider trying to have kids.  I was nowhere near that, but I started working on it.  For silly, personal reasons, it was hard for me.  Really hard.  I saw improvement, which was encouraging, but never seemed to be able to get “there”.  I remember telling the Lord that I knew I couldn’t do it on my own, and that He was going to have to help me.  (Probably should’ve realized that sooner, huh?)  Anyway, around that time, I remember The Mama sharing a story with me one morning on my drive to work from one of her favorite movies that she’d just watched again.  Now, honestly, I don’t think she was trying to tell me to encourage me about my blood sugar control.  We hadn’t even talked about trying to have children.  (Our families were very good not to push about grandbabies.)  It could have been to encourage me on some other difficulty at that time, or just as a general “wow, this is a good story.”   The story went kind of like this…

The movie was set maybe in the 1800s, and the main character, Christy, was lost out in a storm.  She was supposed to be getting married soon, and her two friends, Miss  Alice and Ruby Mae (don't you love the names?)  were very worried about her.  Miss Alice, the elder of the two friends, encouraged Ruby Mae to perform an act of faith by sewing tiny seed pearls onto Christy’s wedding dress so that it would be ready for her when she returned home.  So, Ruby Mae did.  Christy, of course, makes it safely home and does get married (although to someone different than originally intended.  We’ll forget that part :-)).

So, the very day I heard the story – probably about 2 years ago - I took myself to the Family Christian bookstore on my lunch hour and sewed my own seed pearl by buying a stuffed lamb that played Jesus Loves Me.  I took it home and shared the story and purchase with The Husband, and we prayed and believed that, some day, somehow, it would belong to our child.  Maybe a biological child, maybe an adopted child… we didn’t know.  But we believed (most days, The Husband more than me).  The Lord is faithful, as He always is, as yesterday, we set it out in Baby Girl’s nursery (see below… isn’t it cute?)  I’m not saying my faith never waivered, because it did, many times.  And still does sometimes as Baby Girl gets closer to preparing to make her arrival.  But praise the Lord, He loves me and blesses me anyway.

Like any good Paul Harvey-esque story, there’s more.  Before yesterday, no one knew about the lamb and its meaning besides The Husband and me.  But…guess what both The Nana (The Husband’s mom) and The Gramma gave to Sweet Caroline for Christmas? 

So, as you can see, Caroline has three lambs… a holy number, as a sweet friend from church would say (shout out to you, Kristie!)… all that play Jesus Loves Me… all that will remind me throughout the years of God’s faithfulness to me and my family and how much The Lamb loves us.

Oh, and that level that I had to get under 335 and didn’t think I’d ever get it there?  When it was checked last month, it came in at 245 ;0).  Nothing is impossible with God!

“…without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  Hebrews 11:6