Love In Action

I have a friend, her name is Kelly, and she is the greatest person on earth.  I am convinced that she was put on this earth solely for me.  God knew how much I was going to need her and I'm so thankful for that.  I've struggled my whole life to find a friend who would love me, accept me, and embrace me unconditionally and I have found that in Kelly.  From the moment I shared the news of our pregnancy with her, she has been our biggest cheerleader and prayer warrior.  I'm convinced that this girl stays on her knees 24-7 just for me!  Negative thoughts about this pregnancy never entered her mind and rarely did she "allow" them to enter mine :)  So sharing the news with her about our loss was probably the most bittersweet.  See, Kelly's not the kind of friend who loves from a distance.  Kelly's heart literally broke with me and we could share in this pain together.  The moment the words came out over the phone, nothing was more important to her than getting to me as fast as possible.  She dropped everything in that moment to be with me.  I'll never forget the next 2 hours.  She held me and sobbed with me and prayed over me until the tears just wouldn't come anymore.  She held my hand and reassured me of God's promises and His sovereignty over all things - even the loss of my baby.  There's no inkling of doubt in her mind that this baby had a purpose and that God will bless us again - but never ever will baby Harrell be forgotten in our hearts.  Over the next 48 hours she brought us food and got me out of the house.  She texted and emailed and constantly reminded me of her love and deep care for us.  She is my rock.  Kelly understands what it means to put love into action - that's the kind of friend she longs to be.  And I am forever grateful for that, especially in my weakest moments when she gives me strength and reminds me of the true source of our strength.

Now that our news has been made public, we have been showered with love from our friends and family.  Someone is always checking in on us to see how we are and if there is anything that we need.  We have received flowers and gifts and notes/emails with words of encouragement and scripture to meditate on.  It's in moments like these when I contemplate what kind of friend I am.  I hope I am like all of these who have poured out their hearts for us in our deepest time of need, and if not, it's clear what I should be.  I want to be a friend who puts love into action - I don't want to love from a distance.  If you're a part of my life, then what breaks your heart ought to break mine and if you're ever in need, it is my responsibility to meet that need as best I can.  Going through this personal grievance has already taught me about who I want to be on the other side of it.  For that I am grateful.  I can say that I've learned 1 important lesson through this loss, but I'm still craving so much more.  My sould craves for the answers that just don't seem to come.

We thank each of you from the bottom of our hearts for holding us close through this journey and reminding us that even in our darkest hour, we are NEVER alone.