Well, this month my head and heart are swirling. I was tempted to forego writing this month until I had
a thought…. that thought being, “ So many miracles”. In the May issue I shared that we were awaiting
the birth of our granddaughter, who had been diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a life-threatening
chromosomal disorder. We spent four months on a tilt-a-whirl of emotion, navigating joy, intense
anxiety, hope, sadness, courage and fear until June 17 th , when our baby girl was born. Her life was
covered in prayer by literally hundreds of people. We held our breaths for a miracle. For some, the
miracle would manifest as the birth of a completely normal baby girl, despite her diagnosis. And yes,
God could have done that. We all prayed for our own versions of the best-case scenario under the
circumstances. We prayed for clarity in whatever decisions they would have to make at her birth, which
could have involved surgical measures for her and weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We
prayed for peace with those decisions. When Ruach Avonlea Fletcher (a.k.a Baby Ru )was born, she had
already passed into heaven. She weighed 3 pounds, 11 oz at 36 weeks of gestation. So tiny, so perfect.
When we pray for miracles, we often insist on the big ones…as in the parting of the red sea, entire limbs
restored or raising of the dead. And if they don’t manifest, we lose faith. What I want to offer you today
is the opportunity to step back and consider the miracles that take place in the midst of our perceived
nightmares and even in the daily workings of life. Here are a few from Ru’s birthday. I was not scheduled
to see my daughter that day but felt a strong urge to go to her and just give her a hug. I called her and
scheduled a quick visit later that morning. A few minutes later, she called me to report that her water
had broken when she returned home from taking her 3-year-old son to school. Thanks be to God; she
was at home when this occurred. We were then able to schedule my picking him up at noon and
keeping him with me. Later we discovered that, due to her condition the placenta had detached, causing
significant hemorrhage. Although my daughter lost almost half her blood volume, her bloodwork never
indicated a need for transfusion. The placental detachment and subsequent loss of circulation to Ru
allowed her to pass peacefully in the warmth and comfort of unconditional love, under her mother’s
heart. My daughter shared with me that she had had a vision the morning of Ru’s birth of Jesus receiving
Ru into His arms. While Mary was in labor, she and her husband played the worship music that Ru had
heard in utero. Mary said there was a supernatural peace that enveloped them. So much so, that their
caregivers were deeply impacted. One of their caregivers was a nurse who is also one of their closest
friends, who “happened” to be working the shift that day. She was able to coach them all the way
through and because she is a photographer, recorded the birth, family celebration and baptism by our
priest. So much for which to be grateful! Our baby girl has impacted so many in her life. This month, I
invite you to be sensitive to what miracles may be unfolding around you, in the face of challenge and
even more so in the dailyness of life. The “coincidences”, the mysteries, the seasons, sunrises and
sunsets. Divine Love is afoot if we choose to have eyes to see. Blessings to all.
Psalm 139
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, [a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
1 Corinthians 13: 12 and 13
12For now we see but a faint reflection of riddles and mysteries as though reflected in a mirror, but one
day we will see face-to-face. My understanding is incomplete now, but one day I will understand
everything, just as everything about me has been fully understood. 13Until then, there are three things
that remain: faith, hope, and love—yet love surpasses them all. So, above all else, let love be the
beautiful prize for which you run.