Coincidences???

"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid." Hebrews 13:6

There were so many coincidental occurences those first few days. I've already shared that the Labor and Delivery nurse was a friend's sister-in-law. She was an anchor for me throughout the day. She came to my room to give me a loving embrace and held me for a long time LONG after her shift had ended. Her warmth has never been forgotten. Monica, the NICU nurse called over to Taylor when the drops weren't happening, has long been a friend of Mike's family through church. Another nurse was related to two students in my sixth grade classroom. (I get to teach part-time in Garden Grove School District and still do, thankfully!) The pediatrician on-call happened to have worked with blind children during her teen years in India. Dr. Tandon continues to be a wealth of knowledge for our family! Half the Hudson family was in Florida together, and the other half was in California. (Now, that's crazy to think about given the fact that I am the oldest of eight kids and at NO other time had the four been together in Florida.) The doctors and nurses, the support staff, and our support team each shared our "new life" in their own way. The journey had begun.

Mike and I had our first "get away" without children in that hospital room that night. What a way to spend your first night without children! (And even then, Taylor was brought in every couple of hours!) It was devastating to say the least and nothing like we had planned. I looked in the mirror at one point and truly didn't recognize the woman in the reflection. My eyes were swollen like golfballs, and I had aged ten years in two hours. It was a perfect reflection of how I was feeling on the inside though. I had never understood depression before, but I can honestly say that I felt like the woman in that mirror for a long time though I didn't look quite like that on the outside...Thank Goodness!!!

The best moment was when Lauren came to visit us in the hospital. I felt a wave of relief seeing her huge smile and beaming glow. She jumped right up on the bed next to me. Her comfort was so pure. She had no idea of what was going on except that she was a big sister and got to see Taylor and Mommy. Aaahh, the innocence of babes!

It’s only been five years, but it truly feels like a lifetime ago. So often people want to know how we found out, if we knew before Taylor was born that she would be blind, what it was like to learn the truth of her blindness. So there it is. It was definitely a shock to say the least! Now it’s time to focus on the great gifts I’ve learned because of the life we’ve been given with Taylor.