January 12th.

What is there to say on this solemn day? There is a thick sadness in the air as we all remember things we have so desperately tried to forget, but at the same time there is a hope that lingers just beneath reminding us that we were chosen, hand picked by God, to live. That has to mean something.

As I looked at my boys this morning, I realized that January 12th means something completely different to me now. This was the day my husband became a widow.  The day my boys lost their mother. It is also the day that sparked a series of events that would eventually make me a wife and mother of 3. It is hard to mentally digest all the emotions flowing through me today. This was the worst day of my life, yet if it had not happened our precious family would not exist.

So, instead of wallowing in my confusion I have decided that today I choose to celebrate. I choose to celebrate the amazing perseverance and everlasting hope that is wired into the DNA of every Haitian I have ever met. I choose to celebrate my dear family, and the incredible miracle it is that we are one.  I celebrate the Hope House, the incredible mismatched love soaked family we are.

The road of this life has been long and weary. A river of tears have seeped from my eyes but I have experienced more joy in this life than anyone could expect or imagine.

You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

 Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
          - Maya Angelou


This morning I kissed my husband, and thanked God for miraculously sparing his life. I hugged my boys and wished I could thank their mother for bringing them into this world, then thanked God for making them mine.  I looked around the room this morning at the 68 beautiful smiling precious faces of my babies and praised God that He spared every one of them for a great purpose.

Today I choose to celebrate life. Both the bright sunshine and the deepest darkness, the ups and the downs, the joys and the fears, the love and the heartbreak. Today I choose to celebrate it all.

Peace, love and life.

Rachel


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Baby Sized Miracle

Image
Today I witnessed a beautiful miracle. I saw God's love poured out in a lovingly selfless act. Today I saw the hands and feet of Jesus at work. Today in Leveque something amazing happened. It started with something terribly sad. A newborn baby was dropped into a latrine and left to die. Something I cannot fathom and which shatters my heart. I cannot even begin to understand what went through this mother's mind as she let go of her baby and watched him fall into the dark pit. Thankfully God has a wonderful plan for this little life and his sweet cry was loud enough to be heard by a good samaritan passing by, who quickly called Pastor Williamson, the deaf pastor from Leveque. A group of people worked together to smash the cement cover off the latrine carefully so the baby would not be injured. Then they somehow used some metal bars and a net or basket of some sort to lift the baby out of the pit. Miraculously he only had a few scraps on him. The community came together to care ...
Read more

Gross, gross, gross!!

I can handle mice. I can handle rats. I can handle lizards. I can handle cockroaches. I can handle snakes. I can handle tarantulas. I can handle flying green leaf shaped bugs that smell funny. I can handle a lot more than your average woman, with two minor exceptions: Dead things and Haitian frogs. I can kill a mouse, a cockroach, a snake or a tarantula without fear, but once it's dead I'm not going near it! A lizard on my bedroom wall doesn't faze me, but a dead one in the closet makes me run for the door. Strange I know...but dead things just freak me out! Haitian frogs on the other hand have me running around screaming like a scared little girl. I specify Haitian frogs because Canadian frogs have never really bothered me, except that one time in grade 8 when Ben Lanteigne kicked a frog and it came flying right for my face! Haitian frogs are a whole other ball game. They are the kind of frogs you would see in the Toronto zoo. They always look wet and slimy and ha...
Read more

The art of discipline

I recently spent a few days in Austin, Texas where they like to keep things weird. It’s actually their city's slogan for those who don’t know. You can buy shirts, bumper stickers, even blankets with the “Keep Austin Weird” logo! When I was there this time I saw a house painted florescent lime green, and another with bright purple trim, both in an otherwise normal neighborhood. I also ate the BEST food ever! Masman Curry with tofu, pad thai, deep fried pickles and jalapeño hush puppies that make me drool just thinking about them. Yum! I stayed with our amazing friends Megan and Patrick and had an awesome week. I was invited to come and share with the Life Austin church about Mission of Hope and what Kenol and I are doing here. I shared both on Sunday morning and at their Tuesday morning women’s Bible study. The Bible study was really laid back as there was a small turn out with it being just before Thanksgiving. After I shared we sat around chatting for a while and one of the ...
Read more