It reminded me so much of Charlene last 7 hours with us. My tears couldn't stop flowing when I read through the story.
Here is the extract from the book.
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In his book Stepping up, Dennis Rainey tells the tear-drenched story of how his daughter Rebecca and her husband, Jake, gave birth to a little baby whose brain was almost gone by the time she was born. Little Molly lived just seven days, but in that one love-packed week, she received abundant care, prayers and comfort. Because both Rebecca and Jake come from strong families, two sets of grand-parents were there, praying over little Molly, reading scripture to her, and singing songs of worship along with her parents. Here's how Dennis describes Molly's final moments on earth, when they all knew she was about to die and planned their last goodbyes:
Barbara was first. It was quite a maneuver to make sure all the wires and tubes that were supporting Molly's life didn't get tangled, but finally there she was in her arms. Barbara kept saying how much of an honor it was to hold this little princess of the King. She held her close and cooed words of lover and admiration over her beautiful face. Holding back tears was impossible.
When it was Bill's turn, he stroked her face, tenderly whispered his love for her, and shared his favorite scriptures with her. Pam beamed as she gently rocked Molly and sang "Jesus Loves Me" to her. Both Bill and Pam just held her, kissing her face, holding her little hands, and weeping as they said good-bye.
As Molly was placed in my arms, she felt so warm like every newborn. I tried to sing to her, and I doubt she recognised "Jesus Loves Me" as I choked out a few words through tears.
As his own kids were growing up, Dennis used to tell stories of a fantasyland filled with "Speck people". Dennis always got one of the Speck people into a harrowing dilemma and then said "And you'll have to wait until tomorrow night to hear the rest of the story." He now frequently told these stories to his grandchildren, so Jake asked his father-in-law, Molly's grandfather, to tell her one Speck story before she died.
At first, Dennis protested - he just couldn't. But Jake and Rebecca implored him, which led to this:
I held little Molly, looked into her face, and began my story: "A Speck grandfather and his Speck granddaughter went fishing for tiny Speck fish..." My story was less than sixty seconds long, and when I looked up into Rebecca's face, she had the biggest grin, dimples and all. She was loving the moment.
As I concluded my story, I told Molly, "The Speck grandfather and Speck granddaughter took their fish and ate them, and they they encountered something you would never expect or believe... and you will have to wait until I get to heaven to hear the rest of the story.
At this point I was sobbing, but I got the words out...and Rebecca and Jake started laughing. Rebecca's laughter has always been contagious, and I, too, began to really laugh.
Losing a child is one of the most painful experiences any human can ever know. But the corporate love of four faith-filled grandparents allowed this young mom and dad to actually find laughter and hope in the face of one of life's ugliest realities.
It gets even better: with all the laughter in the room, little Molly's oxygen monitor, which had been at an anemic 80 percent, shot up to 92 percent, then 94,97,98,99 and finally, 100 (emphasis added). That tiny newborn drank in the faith and hope and laughter of her parents and grandparents. Though this was ultimately her last day on earth, I don't doubt that she died knowing she was very loved, and she is no doubt eagerly waiting in heaven to greet first her grandparents, and then her parents, who gave her such a sweet and blessed passing.
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The improved oxygen saturation of little Molly (in bold above) mirrors that of Charlene's situation. After we carried her, her saturation went up and her heart rate improved... despite the change in the ventilator to a less powerful one that would allowed us to carry her.
The short story gave me reassurance that Charlene also drank in our love and Jesus's love for her in that 7 hours.
Thank you God, for giving me and my wife so much assurances.
You give and take away; we will choose to say "Blessed be your name!"
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