Holland not Italy

My precious preemie....no one and nothing is going to stop her!

Last night a read an amazing article about a young many who was graduating from JL Mann high school in Greenville, SC. No big deal right? The reason the story was so poignant to me was because when this young man had been born 21 years ago. He was born very, very early. In fact in the article I was told that he was born a whole trimester early. Because he was born so early he had some developmental delays and some learning disabilities. In fact, because of his learning issues it took him 6 years to complete high school. The article was so inspiring because even though he had to try very hard at school, he never quit. At the end of the article, he was asked what was one thing that he would change. He said, "To not have been born so early.....but that was God's plan for my life!"

In the article, the writer included a great story that describes how a parent of preemie feels.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child born too early. I to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this……

When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”

“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”

But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”

But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland.

Even though my sweet Ava was born 10 weeks early (about a half a trimester early), we still face some of the same struggles that the young man in the article. It took her a little longer to crawl, sit up, walk and talk then children her same age. But with every task she worked hard, and always did it with a smile and spunk! There are times when I look at my friend's children that came into the world at the exact time and with seeming ease, and wonder. What would Ava and our life be like if she had been born at the correct time? When the questions, doubt, sadness and even anger creep into my life, I take a moment and bring all of those negative thoughts to the Lord. Again and again he gracious reminds me of Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you DECLARES THE LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." I am also reminded of Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do GOOD works which God prepared in ADVANCE for us to do!". I cling to those scriptures, one because G0d has nothing but amazing plans for Ava's life, today and everyday. Second, that God had already written out every step of Ava's journey! Her being born 10 weeks early, in a very dramatic fashion did not catch God off guard. He had already written out every step of her incredible journey. Do I know what future holds, no...but I do know who holds the future. In HIM I put my trust, find my love and peace, and place my child!