# On the Mercies of God and Anna's 3rd Birthday



## Semper Fidelis (Mar 15, 2007)

This is message I'll be sending out to my family and friends today. I thought I would share it with you all. It is in this forum as I didn't want to protect it from the Internet in a Member's Only forum....

Though I surely love my other two kids as much as my second child, the birthday of my daughter Anna will always hold special significance for me. People always have to remind me that March 17th is Saint Patrick's day. I honestly forget every year because it's the birthday of my little girl.

In the Scriptures, the Israelites would mark areas where God had appeared to them or done a mighty act. Memorial stones or names were set up so that God's wondrous deeds could be taught to their children and their children's children. It wasn't the memorial that was the worshipped or adored but it pointed beyond itself to the mightiness, goodness, provision, and mercy of God. The Cross is the nexus of human history and the ultimate marker. It is the fulfillment of all the promises and the historical point at which we look back and believe an event that signified the God-Man saving men from their sins. While the cross is fully real and true for me and my ultimate marker for Truth and belief, I also now have a marker, in the birth of Anna, that profoundly marked my soul and testified to the mighty power and mercies of the Triune God.

Some of you know the story. About 0040 on March 17th, my first little girl, Anna, was born. Her squeaky little weak cry was so cute. Tiredness flees and the senses take on a razor sharp focus as you take in every little move, the shape of her face, the hands, the feet…. Words don't express the joy of seeing your child for the first time.

Things proceeded as normal. Sonya stayed in the delivery room while I went with Anna to have her cleaned up. I was filming her cleaning and was very chatty as I always am when excited. I scarcely noticed that they started sensing something was wrong with her oxygen levels. I left to talk to Sonya for a bit and then returned to the room. Anna was now under an oxygen tent and her respirations were over 100 per minute. The doctors and nurses were counseling over whether the Bethesda NICU ought to be called to come rescue her. The decision was made to do so.

Remembering this brings back the vivid memory of watching her tiny little body gasping for breath. I kept looking at those numbers and kept praying: "God, please make those numbers go down." I kept wanting her to be OK because I didn't want Sonya to come in and find her like this. Well Sonya came in wondering why I hadn't come back and I showed her what was happening. I tried to reassure her but she began to cry and so did I. At that moment the only verse that kept coming to my mind was "Shall I accept good from the Lord and not the bad? The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord."

Around 0600 the NICU team came from Bethesda. They were so quick, so professional, so tender with her. They reassured me that she would probably be fine and gave her some blood. She was severely anemic. She pinked up pretty quickly on the ride to Bethesda and stabilized. I didn't learn of this, though, for a few more hours.

Meanwhile, I finalized a few more things at the hospital and departed for Bethesda but called my Pastor in VA as well as folks in California where we had worshipped before we moved. It was before 0500 in CA but one of my dear friends called the entire Church and woke them up and they prayed for my little girl. I was on the phone learning of this and I had to pull over after being overwhelmed by the love of the Saints. What true friends.

The day went pretty well after that. Sonya was driven up to Bethesda and I eventually got back to my father's house where my son, James, had been all day. It was so good to see him. Exhausted but exhilirated, I called Sonya around 2000. She had news that Anna had experienced some seizures in the NICU. They had scheduled an EEG for the next day.

The next afternoon we got the results of the EEG. Anna had suffered three strokes en utero. After later consulting with a pediatric neurologist we learned that the regions of the brain affected controlled vision and higher functioning. Anna, though now stable, was potentially blind and severely retarded. Again, the words of Job gave me comfort. God is so tender in His mercies when your soul is in anguish. It is His control over all and His promise that all things are worked for the good for those who love Him and are called by Him that gives comfort beyond measure.

One week prior, I visited a Church I had once attended in Northern VA and saw a couple with their severely disabled child. A child that had been healthy up to age 8 when he was struck by a car and became severely retarded and wheelchair bound thereafter. He was now 20 and I thought: "Could I do that for my child?"

When I learned that Anna could be blind and retarded I never doubted for a moment that I would always love her. She was mine. My question about caring for a child had an answer. How could I do anything else for her? Anna was given to me and Sonya and we loved her.

Anna was on meds to control seizures for about 9 months. They weren't easy months but they weren't terribly hard either. She eventually began to really flourish about the 6 month mark. Her MRI at 7 months revealed that the evidence of the strokes had virtually disappeared and the Neurologist predicted she would likely be a normal child.

Well, Anna Marie L. is anything but normal to me. She's my little girlie, my Anna Banana. She smiles and yells "Daddy!" when I come home in the evening. She's a tremendous blessing that, like all my kids, I have to regularly repent to the Lord for taking for granted and not cherishing as I ought.

Back on March 18, 2004, when I asked how much ability Anna would have, the Neurologist (an Army Colonel) was very blunt. It is very difficult to predict intelligence or ability until a child is 3. 

Anna is 3 tomorrow. I sometimes think she's too smart!

But, you see, I'm not blessed because I have a smart, cute little girl. I'm blessed and remember this event because I serve a God that promises good to me in the midst of blessing and in the midst of calamity. I'm thankful that I'm called out into a Church where people are knit together and pray for one another and weep when you weep and rejoice when you rejoice. 

What tremendous joy I experienced at her baptism only a couple of weeks after her birth when the cloud of her future ability still hadn't passed for months to come. I held her up with tears in front of the Church, full of joy, and proclaimed: "Rejoice with me! Behold! Anna, child of the Covenant!"

May I ever worship Him. Thank You, Lord, for this girl. Thank you that she's healthy. Thank you for this reminder you have given me of Your goodness!


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## Theoretical (Mar 15, 2007)

God has richly blessed your family, through these trials and joys. It's so heartening to see such a trust in God's goodness (and indeed a display of that goodness from Him) towards His people.


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## Herald (Mar 15, 2007)

[bible]Psalm 66:20[/bible]

Rich - there is nothing more I can add than to say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord."


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## 5solasmom (Mar 16, 2007)

BaptistInCrisis said:


> [bible]Psalm 66:20[/bible]
> 
> Rich - there is nothing more I can add than to say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord."




Amen.

Praise God for your little girl! 

And happy birthday Anna!!!


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## jaybird0827 (Mar 16, 2007)

Psalm 127

1 Except the Lord do build the house,
the builders lose their pain:
Except the Lord the city keep,
the watchmen watch in vain.

2 'Tis vain for you to rise betimes,
or late from rest to keep,
To feed on sorros' bread; so gives
he his beloved sleep.

3 Lo, children are God's heritage,
the womb's fruit his reward.
4 The sons of youth aas arrows are,
for strong men's hands prepar'd.

5 O happy is the man that hath
his quiver fill'd with those;
They unashamed in the gate
shall speak unto their foes.

-- _Scottish Metrical Psalter_

God is good.


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## NaphtaliPress (Mar 16, 2007)

Theoretical said:


> God has richly blessed your family, through these trials and joys. It's so heartening to see such a trust in God's goodness (and indeed a display of that goodness from Him) towards His people.


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## LadyCalvinist (Mar 16, 2007)

Rich. May God bless you and your household.


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## lv1nothr (Mar 16, 2007)

What a blessing Rich! Happy 3rd to Anna, may the Lord give her many more, and may she walk with Him all the days of her life!


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## Semper Fidelis (Mar 18, 2007)

OK, indulge a father as I share some pictures from her birthday party on Saturday:

http://www.L..us/albums/20070317/slides/LeinoKIds2007-03-17_09.49.23.JPG

http://www.L..us/albums/20070317/slides/LeinoKIds2007-03-17_10.57.49.JPG

http://www.L..us/albums/20070317/slides/LeinoKIds2007-03-17_11.10.11.JPG

http://www.L..us/albums/20070317/slides/LeinoKIds2007-03-17_11.54.12.JPG

This last one I took after the party was over. I actually did it in front of a chromakey green screen and then knocked out the background and added the blue backdrop. Notice the icing that's still on her arm. I love having a mini studio in my home now!

http://www.L..us/albums/20070317/slides/Anna2007-03-17_13.20.30.jpg


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## Herald (Mar 19, 2007)

She is a cutie pie! May she be blessed of the Lord.


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## kvanlaan (Mar 19, 2007)

Congratulations - she's a sweetheart. 

Every child is a reason for giving abundant thanks but her story is really something else.

(also, I didn't know they had pinatas in Japan...)


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## Semper Fidelis (Mar 19, 2007)

kvanlaan said:


> Congratulations - she's a sweetheart.
> 
> Every child is a reason for giving abundant thanks but her story is really something else.
> 
> (also, I didn't know they had pinatas in Japan...)



 Thanks. You'd be surprised at the things that the Okinawans love to do that they've picked up from having so many Americans around them here (the effect is more pronounced than the mainland).


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