Today we heard the sound of our baby's heartbeat for the second time. I'm not sure if there could be a more beautiful sound in the world. This baby we haven't met yet, hiding safely inside my womb, the precious little heart beating rapidly, full of life... Carrying this life is such an honor and joy for me every day. We dream of the purposes God has in store for our child. We pray for this little one daily. We are in awe of God's creation of life and the way He nurtures and loves and cares for the littlest of humans. These 15 weeks have been an extraordinary journey, and I know the next 25 weeks will be filled with excitement, expectation, and not to mention exhaustion! We are told by countless parents, "Get ready- you'll never sleep again! Or at least for the next few years!" I'm trying to stock up on that sleep now!
I remember just 16 months ago laying in my recovery bed in Santa Monica, California, completely deaf in my left ear. I remember asking God in the stillness and agonizing pain of the night to be able to hear again one day. I didn't know what His answer would be, but I had belief. I had hope. I knew my loving Heavenly Father could hear me. I imagined hearing in my left ear the birds singing in the morning. I imagined hearing in my left ear my future baby someday crying. I imagined hearing in my left ear Jamie telling me that he loves me. Little did I realize I would be blessed so soon with a little baby, and I failed to imagine during those nights the incredible blessing of hearing the heartbeat of that baby! Oh what a glorious gift I've been given. Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump...interrupted only by the sound of movements and kicks from baby.
Close your eyes today and take a moment to hear the music around you. Hug the one you love and listen to their heartbeat. Listen to a child's laughter as they play. Listen to the birds singing summer tunes. Listen to the voices of the people in your office- really listen to them. Listen to the rhythms of the traffic and the washing machine and the copy machine. One of my favorite movies that highlights the gift of life and the simultaneous gift of music is
August Rush. The little boy says in it, "Listen. Can you hear it? The music. I can hear it everywhere. In the wind...in the air...in the light. It's all around us. All you have to do is open yourself up. All you have to do...is listen." God has blessed us with the gift of sound, and it's not just in the songs on the radio, but the music is truly everywhere. Today I heard the song of God in my little baby's heartbeat. And when all is still and really silent, I even hear it in the tinnitus in my ear, a ringing reminder of the miracle story He's brought my family and me through this past year.
"Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, praise His name;
proclaim His salvation day after day...
Splendor a majesty are before Him;
strength and glory are in His sanctuary...
Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness;
tremble before Him, all the earth...
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for He comes..."
PSALM 96
