tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630252687204837689.post4215981824281226030..comments2023-10-17T08:50:58.370-07:00Comments on The Hanna Family: The Hanna Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502330359286286412noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630252687204837689.post-1822998857775392582007-10-21T19:12:00.000-07:002007-10-21T19:12:00.000-07:00What sweet, tiny babies. I love the videos and I c...What sweet, tiny babies. I love the videos and I can't believe you can fit that ring over his wrist. So sweet.Lillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10087828150657603899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4630252687204837689.post-9758317148280740982007-10-18T19:33:00.000-07:002007-10-18T19:33:00.000-07:00Michelle and Shane, My heart goes out to you and y...Michelle and Shane, My heart goes out to you and your sweet, sweet baby boys. I wanted to send you this true story that a friend sent me. I think it might be a comfort as you watch the strength your babies really have. We love you both and pray each day for your boys. With love, Terri and Jim Steele<BR/><BR/>The smell of rain<BR/>At the end of this story, it gives you two options. I<BR/>think you will figure out what option I chose.<BR/>A cold March wind danced<BR/>around the dead of night in<BR/>Dallas as the doctor walked<BR/>into the small hospital room<BR/>of Diana Blessing. She was<BR/>still groggy from surgery.<BR/>Her husband, David, held her<BR/>hand as they braced<BR/>themselves for the latest<BR/>news.<BR/>That afternoon of March 10,<BR/>1991, complications had<BR/>forced Diana, only 24-weeks<BR/>pregnant, to undergo an<BR/>emergency Cesarean to<BR/>deliver couple's new<BR/>daughter, Dana Lu Blessing.<BR/>At 12 inches long and<BR/>weighing only one pound<BR/>nine ounces, they already<BR/>knew she was perilously<BR/>premature.<BR/>Still, the doctor's soft words dropped<BR/>like bombs.<BR/>"I don't think she's going to<BR/>make it," he said, as kindly as<BR/>he could.<BR/>"There's only a 10-percent<BR/>chance she will live through<BR/>the night, and even then, if by<BR/>some slim chance she does<BR/>make it, her future could be a<BR/>very cruel one"<BR/>Numb with disbelief, David<BR/>and Diana listened as the<BR/>doctor described the<BR/>devastating problems Dana<BR/>would likely face if she<BR/>survived.<BR/>She would never walk, she<BR/>would never talk, she would<BR/>probably be blind, and she<BR/>would certainly be prone to<BR/>other catastrophic conditions<BR/>from cerebral palsy to<BR/>complete mental retardation,<BR/>and on and on.<BR/>"No! No!" was all Diana could say.<BR/>She and David, with their 5-<BR/>year-old son Dustin, had long<BR/>dreamed of the day they<BR/>would have a daughter to<BR/>become a family of four.<BR/>Now, within a matter of<BR/>hours, that dream was<BR/>slipping away<BR/>But as those first days<BR/>passed, a new agony set in<BR/>for David and Diana.<BR/>Because Dana's<BR/>underdeveloped nervous<BR/>system was essentially 'raw',<BR/>the lightest kiss or caress<BR/>only intensified her<BR/>discomfort, so they couldn't<BR/>even cradle their tiny baby<BR/>girl against their chests to<BR/>offer the strength of their<BR/>love.<BR/>All they could do, as Dana<BR/>struggled alone beneath the<BR/>ultraviolet light in the tangle of<BR/>tubes and wires, was to pray<BR/>that God would stay close to<BR/>their precious little girl.<BR/>There was never a moment<BR/>when Dana suddenly grew<BR/>stronger.<BR/>But as the weeks went by,<BR/>she did slowly gain an ounce<BR/>of weight here and an ounce<BR/>of strength there.<BR/>At last, when Dana turned<BR/>two months old. her parents<BR/>were able to hold her in their<BR/>arms for the very first time.<BR/>And two months later, though<BR/>doctors continued to gently<BR/>but grimly warn that her<BR/>chances of surviving, much<BR/>less living any kind of normal<BR/>life, were next to zero, Dana<BR/>went home from the hospital,<BR/>just as her mother had<BR/>predicted.<BR/>Five years later, when Dana<BR/>was a petite but feisty young<BR/>girl with glittering gray eyes<BR/>and an unquenchable zest for<BR/>life.<BR/>She showed no signs<BR/>whatsoever of any mental or<BR/>physical impairment. Simply,<BR/>she was everything a little girl<BR/>can be and more. But that<BR/>happy ending is far from the<BR/>end of her story.<BR/>One blistering afternoon in<BR/>the summer of 1996 near her<BR/>home in Irving, Texas, Dana<BR/>was sitting in her mother's lap<BR/>in the bleachers of a local ball<BR/>park where her brother<BR/>Dustin's baseball team was<BR/>practicing.<BR/>As always, Dana was<BR/>chattering nonstop with her<BR/>mother and several other<BR/>adults sitting nearby when<BR/>she suddenly fell silent.<BR/>Hugging her arms across her<BR/>chest, little Dana asked, "Do<BR/>you smell that?"<BR/>Smelling the air and detecting<BR/>the approach of a<BR/>thunderstorm, Diana replied,<BR/>"Yes, it smells like rain."<BR/>Dana closed her eyes and<BR/>again asked, "Do you smell<BR/>that?"<BR/>Once again, her mother<BR/>replied, "Yes, I think we're<BR/>about to get wet. It smells like<BR/>rain."<BR/>Still caught in the moment,<BR/>Dana shook her head, patted<BR/>her thin shoulders with her<BR/>small hands and loudly<BR/>announced,<BR/>"No, it smells like Him.<BR/>It smells like God when you<BR/>lay your head on His chest."<BR/>Tears blurred Diana's eyes<BR/>as Dana happily hopped<BR/>down to play with the other<BR/>children.<BR/>Before the rains came, her<BR/>daughter's words confirmed<BR/>what Diana and all the<BR/>members of the extended<BR/>Blessing family had known, at<BR/>least in their hearts, all along.<BR/>During those long days and<BR/>nights of her first two months<BR/>of her life, when her nerves<BR/>were too sensitive for them to<BR/>touch her, God was holding<BR/>Dana on His chest and it is<BR/>His loving scent that she<BR/>remembers so well.<BR/>You now have 1 of 2 choices.<BR/>You can either pass this on<BR/>and let other people catch the<BR/>chills like you did or you can<BR/>delete this and act like it<BR/>didn't touch your heart like it<BR/>did mine.<BR/>IT'S YOUR CALL!<BR/>"I can do all things in Him<BR/>who strengthens me."<BR/>This morning when the Lord<BR/>opened a window to Heaven,<BR/>He saw me, and He asked:<BR/>"My child, what is your<BR/>greatest wish for today?" I<BR/>responded:<BR/>"Lord please, take care of the<BR/>person who is reading this<BR/>message, their family and<BR/>their special friends. They<BR/>deserve it and I love them<BR/>very much" The love of God<BR/>is like the ocean, you can see<BR/>its beginning, but not its end.<BR/>_______________________<BR/>_<BR/>This message works on the<BR/>day you receive it. Let us see<BR/>if it is true. _____________<BR/>ANGELS EXIST but some<BR/>times, since they don't all<BR/>have wings, we call them<BR/>FRIENDS<BR/>_______________________<BR/>__Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00845925808837312737noreply@blogger.com