Life is made up of joys and sorrows. In May 2018, I found out my son, Isaac, and his wife, Hattie were expecting a baby. The first poem featured here was written in the glow of the joyous announcement that came on that Mother's Day in America. Hattie was several weeks along and that week they listened to the heartbeat and scheduled an ultrasound appointment.
All of that joy was changed several days later as we learned of the miscarriage. From joy to grief in an instant. The second poem flows out of my sadness.
This week has been one of joys and sorrows. I was reminded of these poems that I wrote and wanted to share them. May we all see God's grace during all the seasons of our lives.
A Glad Tiding
O, Little One, O, Little One,
Our hearts have almost burst,
With love and dreams and prayers today
Inspired by these firsts--
First time we heard of you
On this fourteenth day of May,
First time you became a special part
Of all the rest of our days.
First time we heard your parents speak of you
With hope and love and joy.
First time we saw them as Mom and Dad
And guessed if you were a girl or a boy.
First time we pictured our Father’s hands
Creating your little form,
First time we glimpsed His delight for you
His love, so tender and warm.
First time we gathered ‘round with you
In the center of our clan.
Your family already in love with you--
The one that God had planned.
O, Little One, O Little one
A glad tiding for us this morn,
Your Maker is up to something good
And we cannot wait until you’re born!
A Deep Grief
O, Little One, O, Little One,
Our hearts are torn apart.
With love still so very powerful,
But dreams brought to sudden halt.
The depth of love we felt for you
During this one week of May,
Will always be a special part
Of all the rest of our days.
We’re thankful we were given the gift
Of seeing your parents’ love and joy.
But there’s so many things we missed-
Like finding out if you were a girl or a boy.
We still know the Father fashioned you,
Creating your little form,
And now we look for His comfort for us,
In the grief of this unexpected storm.
We wanted many more times to gather ‘round
With you in the center of our tribe.
We were already in love with you
And wanted to see you the rest of our lives.
O Little One, O Little One,
We are shaken to the core.
Yet the sweetness we gained
From loving you is alive forevermore