Note-
This is a repost of an entry from my personal blog, "Baby I'm Amazed." The other blog is kept private and is readable by invitation only. I keep it that way to maintain my children's privacy, since the blog is mainly about them. However, I do add friends and family that I trust- you know who you are- and if you're one of those people, just ask and I'll add you. :)
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Original FB post- October 28, 2010 2:02am (In the ICU waiting room at Mayo)
Two nights ago, Mama was having a hard time with her prayers. She'd been so weary and tired of worrying abt everything. She wasn't sure what to pray for so she asked God for peace and His will be done. That night, she dreamed she saw Jesus. He handed her a cup with something that looked like dry ice in it and said, "This is life water." Today the phone call came.
Coincidence is God choosing to act anonymously. I have no idea if we'll ever know anything about the lady who died this morning and gave my Mama a chance to live, but I am eternally thankful for the decision she made to be an organ donor. Please remember her family in your prayers. While we're celebrating life, they're grieving the loss of their precious loved one. Somehow, "thank you" doesn't quite cover how grateful I am.
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Literal : "true to fact; not exaggerated; actual or factual."
Have you ever heard someone say, "It literally scared me to death!" and thought, "Well, actually, it didn't ‘literally’ scare you to death because if it had you wouldn't be able to tell me about it- you'd be six feet under. Goober.”
I think "literally" falls into the category of Words Improperly or Overly Used.
Except when you’re referring to an organ donor.
How do you say thank you to someone who quite literally saved your mother's life?
No, really, that wasn’t rhetorical. How do you say thank you for such a gift? I’m not sure that I know how.
This particular thank you is intensely personal. It’s from a woman who struggles with her faith and clings, perhaps naively, to the belief that all people are inherently good and want to make things better for their fellow humans. It’s from a mother who wants to see her mother watch her grandchildren grow up. It’s from a wife who can understand why her mother can’t bear the thought of leaving her husband behind. It’s from a daughter who wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her mother.
I know it seems like it would be so very easy to just say, “Thank-you.” But somehow, it seems woefully inadequate. Somehow, a simple thank you doesn’t quite cover it. It doesn’t quite cover the debt of gratitude I feel I owe to the family of the woman who died.
I pray daily for her family. Perhaps she was someone’s sister, aunt, cousin, niece, best friend, wife, or mother- we may never know. The only thing I know for certain is that she was someone’s daughter; someone’s precious child. And someone out there is mourning the loss of her.
I pray that God gives them a special blessing today… and every day. I pray that God grants them peace and understanding. They probably have no idea that some stranger somewhere is praying for them.
But I know.
We may never know anything about the donor or her family- they may not want us to know. I’m not even sure what I’d say to them in person, given the opportunity. I, the girl who always has something to say, would be speechless.
But if I could tell them just one thing right now, I’d want them to know that to us, their daughter isn’t some faceless stranger. She’s a very real part of our lives and will be from now on.
I’d want them to take comfort in knowing that their daughter’s lungs continue to draw breath, even though her soul has moved on.
If I were in their shoes, I’d want to know who my daughter’s organs went to. I’d at least want to know that the woman whose life she saved is a good person. She’s a beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, cousin, niece, and adored grandmother. She may not be perfect but she tries her best and really, that’s all anyone can ask. She’s courageous. She’s feisty and doesn’t back down when she knows she’s right. She’s also loving and kind. She has an inner well of determined strength that belies her quiet demeanor. She loves her family with the ferocity of a mama bear.
If I were the donor’s family, I’d want to know that because of my daughter’s unselfish decision, a woman who is so many things to so many has a second chance at life. There is now hope where there was little before. There is now a family who knows what they’re capable of in times of need and great adversity. There is a family who knows how deeply they are loved. A family who thanks God for the many friends and strangers alike who came together and held them in their hearts and prayers.
The power of prayer is the most awesome power I’ve ever witnessed. I say I’ve witnessed it because I was there. I was in that waiting room sitting on pins and needles and a strange comfort came over me the likes of which I’ve never known. An inner peace telling me that my Mama was going to be okay- not only okay, but miraculously recovered.
Call it advancements in medical science if you want, that’s ok. I’ll just smile and nod because I know the truth. Nothing short of God Himself intervening could have made this happen. I remain convinced that He was there with us- with her- that night.
I hope that He was also with the donor’s family that night, holding them in the comfort of His arms. Somehow, I know in my heart that He was.
To the donor’s family- thank you. She was your miracle when she was born; but now she is our miracle too. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
