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Friday 29 June 2012

The Smell Of Rain ....



A cold March wind danced
around the dead of night in
Dallas as the doctor walked
into the small hospital room
of Diana Blessing. She was
still groggy from surgery.
Her husband, David, held her
hand as they braced
themselves for the latest
news.

 Complications had
forced Diana, only 24-weeks
pregnant, to undergo an
emergency Cesarean to
deliver the  couple's new
daughter, Danae Lu Blessing.
At 12 inches long and
weighing only one pound
nine ounces, they already
knew she was perilously
premature.
Still, the doctor's soft words dropped
like bombs.
"I don't think she's going to
make it," he said, as kindly as
he could.

"There's only a 10-percent
chance she will live through
the night, and even then, if by
some slim chance she does
make it, her future could be a
very cruel one"

Numb with disbelief, David
and Diana listened as the
doctor described the
devastating problems Danae
would likely face if she
survived.

She would never walk, she
would never talk, she would
probably be blind, and she
would certainly be prone to
other catastrophic conditions
from cerebral palsy to
complete mental retardation,
and on and on.

"No! No!" was all Diana could say.
She and David, with their 5-
year-old son Dustin, had long
dreamed of the day they
would have a daughter to
become a family of four.
Now, within a matter of
hours, that dream was
slipping away.

But as those first days
passed, a new agony set in
for David and Diana.
Because Danae's
underdeveloped nervous
system was essentially 'raw',
the lightest kiss or caress
only intensified her
discomfort, so they couldn't
even cradle their tiny baby
girl against their chests to
offer the strength of their
love.

All they could do, as Danae
struggled alone beneath the
ultraviolet light in the tangle of
tubes and wires, was to pray
that God would stay close to
their precious little girl.

There was never a moment
when Danae suddenly grew
stronger.
But as the weeks went by,
she did slowly gain an ounce
of weight here and an ounce
of strength there.

At last, when Danae turned
two months old. her parents
were able to hold her in their
arms for the very first time.
And two months later, though
doctors continued to gently
but grimly warn that her
chances of surviving, much
less living any kind of normal
life, were next to zero, Danae
went home from the hospital,
just as her mother had
predicted.

Five years later, when Danae
was a petite but feisty young
girl with glittering gray eyes
and an unquenchable zest for
life, she showed no signs
whatsoever of any mental or
physical impairment. Simply,
she was everything a little girl
can be and more. But that
happy ending is far from the
end of her story.

One blistering afternoon, near her
home in Irving, Texas, Danae
was sitting in her mother's lap
in the bleachers of a local ball
park where her brother
Dustin's baseball team was
practicing.

As always, Danae was
chattering nonstop with her
mother and several other
adults sitting nearby, when
she suddenly fell silent.
Hugging her arms across her
chest, little Danae asked, "Do
you smell that?"

Smelling the air and detecting
the approach of a
thunderstorm, Diana replied,
"Yes, it smells like rain."
Danae closed her eyes and
again asked, "Do you smell
that?"
Once again, her mother
replied, "Yes, I think we're
about to get wet. It smells like
rain."

Still caught in the moment,
Danae shook her head, patted
her thin shoulders with her
small hands and loudly
announced,
"No, it smells like Him.
It smells like God when you
lay your head on His chest."
Tears blurred Diana's eyes
as Danae happily hopped
down to play with the other
children.

Before the rains came, her
daughter's words confirmed
what Diana and all the
members of the extended
Blessing family had known, at
least in their hearts, all along.

During those long days and
nights of her first two months
of her life, when her nerves
were too sensitive for them to
touch her, God was holding
Danae on His chest and it is
His loving scent that she
remembers so well.

Angel of Miracles



18 comments:

Kerrie said...

A lovely post. I seem to be a bit lost for words. Is this a true story about someone you know?

Shelly said...

I remember hearing about this a few years ago and crying at its power. It still moves me. It is a lovely way to start the morning. Thank you, my friend, for bringing such pure beauty into our day!

Shady Del Knight said...

A powerful story, dear Thisisme, and one that puts most of our problems into perspective. Sometimes, when life deals us an agonizing blow, all we can do is keep faith and "pray that God would stay close." I believe that all prayers are heard and answered but that we, in our limited capacity to understand, don't always like the answer. At other times, when all seems lost, suddenly there's a miracle. We all have moments like these in our lives. Thank you for sharing this story with us, dear Thisisme, and have a happy and healthy weekend!

Gawgus things... said...

Woah, huge lump in my throat. How wonderful if God does work in this way... Bon week-end maman.:)

Jennifer said...

What a beautiful, moving story! A lovely way to start the weekend. Thank you!

Denise said...

Oh My!Could their name really be Blessing?Thisisme,is this a true story?Is it your family?Thank you for sharing it. Hugs Denise

Unknown said...

That is such a precious story and one we all need to remember. We sometimes forget how close God is to little children and their belief is so much stronger that we can imagine. Have a wonderful Friday afternoon.
Hugs,
Odie

BB said...

That is beautiful! Thank you! Hugs.

LindyLouMac said...

You are back in full swing with your posting I see Diane, maybe something to do with the foul weather you have been experiencing. I like your latest banner photo.

Sush said...

wow...tears today from such a powerful post. Thank you for giving me a wondrous start to my day!
Hugs~

Claudia Moser said...

Such an amazing powerful story, thank you for sharing it!

Olive said...

As the mother of a premature infant I totally get this sweet post. You might enjoy my last hold everything lightly series post Diane. I tell about CC's dramatic entry into the world.

orchid0324 said...

Dearest Diane,
This is an amazing and awesome story☆☆☆
Thank you for sharing this moving story and the photo you chose(?) represent this powerful story very well♡♡♡
Take Care and hope you are doing fine.

Sending you lots of Love and Hugs from East, xoxo Miyako*

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

OMG this made me cry the tears running down my face as I write this, what a wonderful story thank you for writing this

Unknown said...

Oh Diane, this was so beautiful couldn't help crying. What a lovely post! Wishing you a lovely day my friend.
Big hugs,
Eva

Unknown said...

A very moving and awesome post. Thank you for sharing it. God Bless - Nita

Rebecca said...

what a lovely story filled with emotions

Lyndylou said...

Wow, that was a lovely story :)