Miracles.

My friend's baby girl, Ariana Abigail June (Ari for short), was born exactly four months ago tomorrow. Tomorrow, baby Ari will be FOUR MONTHS old. I can't believe it. Ari was born premature. Which, in itself, wouldn't be that extraordinary. But Ari was born at TWENTY-ONE WEEKS. We all expected Ari to go. But we all believed that God had monstrously humongously huge plans for baby Ari... so we kept praying and holding on, just like baby Ari has done. Ari's had quite a few complications--her sight and hearing isn't very good at all, and there is a good chance that she will be legally blind her whole life, and her lungs and brain and heart were severely underdeveloped... but Ari is ALIVE. And Ari's doing GOOD. And she's healthy for what she went through, and just maybe, when her twin is born in a couple weeks, baby Ari will be able to come home with Danny or Bridget (we don't know if it's a boy or a girl...).

Baby Bowen Matthew was born just 9 days ago. He was born late, so he didn't face the same issues that baby Ari has faced. But Bowen was born with severe heart problems, and just days after he was born, he had to face open-heart surgery. I can't even imagine. But before they sewed him back up, he arrested. The whole world thought he was going to die. I say the whole world, because he's the son of a fairly famous singer in the Christian music/entertainment world. Hundreds--maybe even thousands--of people are praying for this baby boy. Today, baby Bowen's chest has been sewed back together, and he's doing very well. Time will tell, but today is a good day for baby Bowen Hammitt.

My grandmother has a million and one medical problems, and just as many medications to take daily. She could potentially be battling pancreatic cancer, and they have no solution for her illness. Treating the cancer would kill her. So she musters through every day, taking her medicine, trying to regain strength, watching TV, listening to the antics of my siblings and I. I was sure she would have been dead two years ago. She beat lung cancer, just to be swamped with pneumonia, pancreatic cancer, and who knows what else. When I asked her how her morning was when I got back from church just moments ago, she whispered (since she hasn't been able to talk above a whisper for months) with a twinkle in her eye, "Oh, just like any other morning." My nana's not giving up in the face of adversity and pain is a miracle.

Life may not be perfect, this I know completely... I could point out a million different heartbreak stories that I've heard lately, but life is also miraculous.

Oh, may we never forget.

Till next time,
Ash the (Hopeful) Dreamer