Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Leaving a Legacy

This May my daughter Olivia would have been 10 years old. Her sweet life still impacts me today. When I was pregnant with her, I had been to the doctor during my first trimester and all was well. During my second trimester as I laid in the doctor's office having the longest sonogram on the planet. The doctor came in and told me he had scheduled me for a level two sonogram. What in the world was he talking about?

I was in a bit of a daze after that...I went to my level two sonogram and received devastating news. My daughter had a tumor on her chest and her heart and lungs would be unable to grow correctly. She would not be able to sustain life once she was born.

I was stunned and angry.

I went through the nine months of pregnancy, I remember driving to the hospital to have her and feeling like I was living a paradox. I was giving birth which equaled life but for Olivia it meant death. Olivia was born and lived for two hours. She was a beautiful beautiful baby.

When I went for my six week check up, I was still trying to understand the last nine months of my life. I was talking with the nurse and said, "I just don't understand why Olivia had to die - what was the purpose?" The nurse turned and looked at me and said, "She came to change your life." Those words cut to my heart.

She did change my life...she change everything. Just like Jesus, He came to change our lives. His ministry, death, and resurrection left a powerful legacy that touches us today. I think that is what life is about to live your life in such a ways that it emulates truth that leads back to God. Olivia grasped life and ran her race hard. She changed the landscape of my life. She left a powerful legacy.

Olivia Adrian Middleton
May 25, 1999

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this. I remember the day of the sono and remember the day of her birth. I remember the emotion of those days very well. Quite ironic that you blogged this when you did - I just came accross those pictures and was looking at them. She was precious.