Today, I had the privilege of holding the tiniest baby girl. Born just 6 hours earlier, she weighed in at just under 6 pounds. A head of light hair, tiny fingers and toes, and the smallest cry you'd ever hear. She is the 3rd child in this family, the 1st girl after 2 boys. Their middle child, 2nd boy, died last year, at birth. She is their new baby, their new hope, their new future. It was an honor to hold her today, as only 2 of us were in invited to visit. No other friends, no family, just the 2 of us who held their hands when the went through the beginnings of grief when their son died. The reward for our compassion and care was to meet their little miracle, their "rainbow" baby. The calm after the storm. Today, in the midst of all that is wrong in this world, a little girl, with the middle name "Hope" reinforced that out of hardship, grace, beauty and hope can be born.
