“Synchronicities can remind us that we aren’t alone; we are connected, and there is a mysterious and meaningful direction to our lives.” – Jung
Then the voice of the Friend who lives within, the one I seldom hear, spoke. And I heard it. It was crystal clear with no wavering. It penetrated my doubt, despair, and defiance. It came like a quick reply on an Instant Message on my computer and just as clear.
The message was, “I have my hand in this. You keep your hands off.” It was a sharp and simple directive. The restraint that it took for me to remain silent required more self-discipline than I had on my own.
Treva naively said, “Mother, she probably has ear infections.” You dreamy-eyed girl. You are just thinking wishfully. I brooded.
But in the depths of the ancient town of Vladimir, the medieval capital of Russia, my daughter was oblivious to the real world. She stood now as steadfastly as she had knelt in past months in her sterile baby nursery in Alabama, where she had emptied her soul pleading with God for a baby.
Treva’s longing for a child had been dashed time after time over several years. As an act of faith, she and her husband had a completely furnished nursery waiting in their home but no child to fill it.
After several years when no baby came, the infertility doctor’s appointments and medical tests followed. Final word came after Treva had exploratory surgery, the lethal blow when the doctor said, “Don’t expect to get pregnant.” This devastating news destroyed hope. My heart ached, too, and nothing I could say eased their pain.
Treva had considered adoption. My son-in-law didn’t want to give up. She yearned for a baby and had started to research adoption. Kyle, however, was not quite ready to consider it.
Now, four months after hearing the dreadful news from the fertility specialists, Treva was with us in Russia with the Treasures of the Heart ministry providing dental care to orphans. (This ministry no longer exists)
Our team was visiting an old orphanage. Treva had slipped from the room full of toddlers, attempting to hide her tears of despair. She had wandered down one of numerous hallways in the archaic building, saw a partially open door, and walked in.
When I found her, I stood silently beside my only daughter. She held the cocoon-like creature in her arms. My heart sank. This baby couldn’t be the one she had been waiting for. This one looked fragile, frail, and frightened. My resistance welled up to a simmer and my eyes brimmed with tears.
That night Treva called her husband and told him, “There is this baby here. She is a little red-headed girl named Anastasia. She is very tiny. She was premature.”
“Too bad you can’t bring her home now.” Kyle expressed a complete change of heart – and without seeing or touching the baby just as it would have been if they had their own, in complete faith. This birth of hope in her husband was the only green light Treva needed. Now her mind was set.
I knew nothing of their conversation.
To be continued . . .
I raised three children as a single mother before I remarried. In 2007 I founded SMORE for Women, a nonprofit whose goal is Single Moms, Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, and Empowered. I’m also a Certified Professional Coach and my stories have been published in several Christian books and magazines. My book, Living Learning Loving is available on Amazon. My Website.
gailshowalterblog.com 