miracles and a greater purpose

I recently posted about Melanie and her fight for life. She battled through incredible odds to survive her heart stopping, multiple heart attacks, heart surgeries, and organ failure less than a week ago, only to find out today that she was going to be released from the hospital tomorrow. Even the nurses who were with her through this experience are amazed she was able to pull through. Apparently less than 6% of all deliveries experience what she did and of those, very few make it through alive. She's been able to meet her beautiful, healthy daughter Ella and has been surrounded by family and friends. Her continued life truly is a miracle.

Within hours of her heart stopping, they were thousands of people across the nation praying for Melanie's survival. This article describes the efforts of those prayers. I was so touched by the fact that this many people made such an effort to pray for this mother. She has devoted her life to her faith, her family, and the fight to protect all life. She has touched so many with her talks and now so many people felt drawn to help fight for her life now. If anyone was so deserving of such a monumental effort of prayer, it seems to be Melanie.

I've also been thinking this week about mothers who have to leave their families too soon. Over the course of this summer, the school I taught at last year, Towne Meadows, lost two amazing women to cancer. Both women left behind husbands and children. My heart hurts for their families and their losses. I can't help but think how my family would feel if they were in the same situation and how much I wouldn't be there to experience with them in their lives. Those children won't have their mother when they graduate, get married, have babies of their own, and for all of the everyday highs and lows that are so nice to celebrate. And then last night, one of my friends posted this article. I happened to be reading it as I was nursing Reagan and I ended up just sitting there rocking her,trying not to cry, holding her as tight as I could.

All of this got me thinking: what have I done in my life that would deserve such an outpouring of prayer and how do I want my children to remember me? What do I want them to know if for some reason I can't be there to support them?

In my heart, I know that I need to do more to lead a more positive life that benefits others. I have been so blessed and I need to give back. I have an idea of what I'd like to do; it's just a matter of figuring out how to make it happen. It's an idea that will challenge me and make me face one of my greatest fears, one that is very personal. When I get it figured out, I'll let you know. For now I'll just keep saying my prayers; prayers for Melanie and her family, prayers for those families dealing with the loss of a parent, prayers that I can continue to be here to help guide and lead my children through their lives, prayers that I have the strength to follow through with what I'm being called to do.