Page 16 - Journey of Hope by Raymond Moldenhauer

DAY11

THE WARMTH OF SPRING

I awoke at 6 AM this morning immediately wondering what was
in store for us today. It was a beautiful morning. Kathie and I
left for our return trip back to the hospital at 9:30 AM. This trip
was much different than our race to Wilmington in the overcast
cold rain the day before. Spring was evident everywhere -
yellow walls of forsythias, tall green grasses, red tree buds ready
to open, beds of daffodils in full bloom, and an underbrush of
dogwood petals beginning to show. There was no hurry this
time, I set the car on cruise and just thought about how beautiful
it was outside this time of year and how we are able to witness
in anticipation all of the changes that take place as we look
forward to summer.

And then I thought about Alyssa and how beautiful she was, and
how we are seeing her change before our eyes in anticipation of
her homecoming. Her birth was the first sign of warmth. Her
open eyes were as wonderful as the open blooms of spring. Her
improving heart beat and breathing were signals to us of her
growth just as the increasing length of daylight told us summer
is, in fact coming.

Yesterday was a cloudy, cold and rainy day, and for a while
Spring seemed to go away. For a while yesterday, Alyssa's
growth and development was in jeopardy of ending. But just as
the sun returned this morning, Alyssa is here with us and
continuing to become the wonderful work that God has created.
She is a beautiful little girl that we know will come home just as
Summer will arrive. We all wait in anticipation.

I have received e-mails back telling me that we know have
additional prayer partners in Florida, Indiana, Mississippi,
Louisiana, as well as Belgium and Germany. The list continues to
grow and God's answer to our prayers is evident every day.