A Note of Thanks

As I have said before, our journey with Maggie has been covered with peace – from the day she was diagnosed to the day she was delivered.  It is a peace that can only come from God and is a direct result of so many people faithfully praying for us. All we can say is thank you – thank you for joining with us on this journey. I have received many comments over the last several weeks about how well we seem to be doing and the only answer I can give is that God has answered our prayers. We asked for peace and we asked you to pray for that peace.  God has heard those prayers. It does not mean that we don’t feel pain and we don’t feel sadness, but it does mean that at the end of the day God is still God and we can find rest in that.

Over the last three months I have also been reminded of the beauty of the human spirit. It has been a humbling experience to be on the receiving end of people’s willingness and desire to give of their time, talents, and resources to show their support for us. Our family, friends, church family, neighbors, and coworkers have blown us away with their capacity to find ways to support us in a seemingly impossible situation. So many of you have met us at our point of need – from helping us design the beautiful blog for Maggie, to providing the gift of massage for my aching back, to watching Carson for me so that I could rest, to re-decorating rooms in my home as a way to brighten my spirits, to pointing me to people who have experienced similar losses in their lives. We have been blessed by the meals that have been and continue to be provided for us. The last two weeks have been such a restful time for me as I have spent time at home and have not had to worry about preparing meals for my family. God has used this time to remind me, as it says in Psalms, to “Be Still and Know that I am God.” For those that know me very well, you know that “being still” is not one of my strong suits. I tend to use my responsibilities and “to do lists” to distract me from processing thoughts and emotions. In the weeks following Maggie’s birth and death, God has used this time to teach me what it means to “be still” and to rest in the knowledge that He has and will continue to provide for our needs – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

We would like to thank all of the people involved in providing a beautiful memorial service for Maggie. The directors at the funeral home did a wonderful job helping us organize a simple and sweet service for Maggie. The service began with two hymns –How Great Thou Art  and It is Well. Jonathon, a worship leader at our church played his guitar and sang both of these songs for us. Both Charles and I love the sound of hymns played on an acoustic guitar and were grateful to include them in Maggie’s service. Davin, an associate pastor at our church (Roswell Street Baptist), then read two verses that have held significant meaning for us during our  journey with Maggie– Jeremiah 29:11 and Mathew 5:8.  Dr. Easley, our senior pastor, provided a message of hope that is found in II Samuel, Chapter 12. In this chapter King David has just found out that his child that was sick has died. When he learns of this death, the Bible says that David “went into the house of the Lord and worshiped.”  The passage reminded all of us that, even in our grief, we can rejoice in the assurance of God’s sovereignty. Jonathon ended the service with the song Silent Night.  I like to think of it as Maggie’s special song. I began singing Silent Night to Carson around Christmas time last year and I still sing it to him most nights when I am putting him to bed.  The way I see it, Maggie has been hearing this song since she was conceived. I thought it only fitting to include it in her memorial service and I love the closing line that says “Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.”

One of our prayers was that God be glorified in the life our sweet little girl. I have received many cards, calls, messages, and emails from people who have been touched by Maggie’s life. Thank you for sharing with us the impact that Maggie’s life has made on your own lives –it has been a source of encouragement to us and an answer to prayer.  We will always cherish the time we had with Maggie. Thank you for cherishing her as well.