This page is dedicated to two little angels in heaven,
Steven and David.
They came into our lives 25 years ago on June 19th.
This is their story.
Dennis and I had been married for a year and a half
when we
learned that I was going to have a baby. What a blessing
that was!
We both love children and wanted a family. The pregnancy
started off as
most do, me being sick every morning and at first,
most of the day too.
Dennis was in the army at the time so I was going
to the post hospital for
my check-ups and as any military family knows, you
see a different
doctor usually on each visit, whoever happens to be
on duty that particular
day that you go in. You rarely ever saw the same one
twice in a row.
As the weeks went by, my size began increasing at a
rapid rate.
When I was 4 months along, I looked like I was near
my due date.
The doctors would listen for the heartbeat and tell
me
I was probably due sooner than first expected. I would
gain up
to 10 lbs a month and I had been careful with my diet.
I did have one
doctor to ask if there were any cases of twins in
our families and
neither of us knew of any at the time, so they just
dismissed that idea.
When I was about 6 1/2 months along, my family came
out for a visit.
They stayed for several days then headed up to California
on vacation.
We were in Texas. The day after they left, my water
started leaking, a
little a time. Dennis took me to the hospital and
seeing my girth and
how far along I was, they immediately took me to x-ray.
There they were, like Pices the fish symbol. One with
his head up
and the other was turned upside down There was no
going back now.
They had to try to keep me from labor. We knew if
they were born then,
they wouldn't have much of a chance. Everytime the
labor pains started,
they gave me medications that would stop it. In the
meanwhile, I stayed
in the hospital, with all the student nurses coming
around to listen.
It was a learning experience for them. Guess they
didn't get to
experience studying mulitple births too often there.
Finally on the 5th day of the roller coaster, the contractions
wouldn't
stop so the doctor was called in for the delivery.
On June 19th
David and Steven were born. They weighed only 2 lbs
each, identical
twin boys. I was having a lot of complications from
the delivery and
was unable to get out of bed til the day after birth.
Because of their
extreme critical condition, they were not able to
bring the babies to me.
The next day I managed to go down to the nursery to
see our sons. There
in the two incubators were the most beautiful children
God ever made.
Perfect little beings, sleeping so quietly. Each had
pale blonde hair
and light complexion. My heart ached to hold them,
but I couldn't.
That afternoon, the doctor came in and said David had
developed a hole
in his lung. A specialist was flown in for the delicate
surgery. My
arms ached to hold my two beautiful children but again
my condition
forced me to bed all that day. That evening the doctor
came into the
room. When I saw the expression on his face, I knew
something had
happened. David had died suddenly. The lungs just
wouldn't work. He
said that Steven was still holding on, but just barely.
I didn't sleep all night for thinking of them. The
next day I was
due to go home. When Dennis and his mother came to
the room, I
thought it was to get me but he said the hospital
had called him
to come up there. He left me in the room with his
mother and we
waited for what seemed like an eternity. When he came
back, I knew
what they had called him there for. He came over to
me and just held me
tight without saying a word. My whole world fell apart
and I knew
I would not be bringing Steven or David home.
They were buried 2 days later in a section of the cemetary
called
"Baby Land", an area dedicated to infants of the military.
For
many years I blamed myself, the army and then God
for the loss
of Steven and David. I know now that it was all part
of God's plan
for us and from that experience I have learned much.
I gave birth
just a year later to David, our oldest living son.
If the twins had
survived, the kids I have now probably wouldn't have
been born, and I
wouldn't have the beautiful granddaughter I have now.
I have learned
everything happens for a reason. In this mosaic of
life, each event is
just a small piece of the overall masterpiece that
only God can see from
His point of view. Every masterpiece has dark and
shadowy areas, for
without them, the more colorful and brighter spots
aren't as beautiful
as they could be. You have to have the dark to appreciate
the light.
The time will come someday when I will get to finally
hold my sons
for the first time, but until then, I will do everything
I can on
this earth to make them proud of their mom.
Little Angels
When God calls little children
to dwell with Him above,
We mortals sometime question
the wisdom of His love.
For no heartache compares with
the death of one small child
Who does so much to make our world,
seem wonderful and mild
Perhaps God tires of calling
the aged to his fold,
So He picks a rosebud,
before it can grow old.
God knows how much we need them,
and so He takes but few
To make the land of Heaven more
beautiful to view.
Believing this is difficult still
somehow we must try,
The saddest word mankind knows
will always be "Goodbye."
So when a little child departs,
we who are left behind
Must realize God loves children,
Angels are hard to find.
Author Unknown
Thank you Floria for this beautiful
gift for my angels!
