Unexpected Blessings

I love fall. It is my favorite time of the year. The crisp air, the colorful trees, the start of football season and the beginning of all things pumpkin. In the next few weeks I will be getting out all of my many boxes of fall decor. I can't wait to see all shades of orange, yellow and red. The house will constantly smell of sweet cinnamon pumpkin, apple cider and pecan pie. You can bet that Steelers football will be on every Sunday, and we will be eagerly awaiting time by the fire.

As the leaves turn, the temperature decreases, and we transition to September, I am reminded of the beautiful transformations that fall brings. Perhaps, it's the changes of fall that I love the most. Unlike a lot of people, I like change. If you ask my husband, I am constantly trying to rearrange, organize or adjust something in our house. Change can bring a fresh start, spice up life a little, and give us new experiences.

I should say, I like fall because it's a predictable change, it happens every year and isn’t a surprise, but, when things happen unexpectedly and change is forced to occur, it can make life hard.

A year before the disaster of Covid-19 and cancer hit our family, we were caught off guard by a huge surprise; an unexpected blessing that God had planned all along. To set the scene for you a little more, let me tell you what was happening...

In 2019, our lives seemed perfect. Adam and I were both working, and in the evenings enjoying life with our two beautiful little girls. I loved my job, and was continuing to make strides to a full time position. In fact, just a few days before the bombshell, I was about to give the “okay” to proceed with what was truly a dream for my career. I felt confident, and in many ways, was living my best life. I had returned to my pre-baby weight, felt my very best, and was ready to enjoy life as a mom of two. I was feeling wonderful, comfortable, and excited for the future.

In September of that year, I began to not feel good. I was tired and couldn’t get through a day with energy, like I could have, just a few weeks before. I started to really not feel “right,” and soon started with symptoms of a cold. After about a week of feeling this way, it had hit me pretty hard, and I knew pretty quickly what was going on. I had remembered this feeling, in fact, I had these same symptoms two other times in my life. I was pregnant.

Adam and I have always wanted kids, but after having Aria and Everly, we were pretty set on not having any more. Like I said, I was feeling my best, and really enjoying my work. The "glow" of pregnancy still hasn't found me. However, after a change in birth control methods failed us, we found ourselves planning for a third baby.

A baby is a wonderful gift, but we were blindsided. This wasn’t what we had planned, and the days that followed changed everything. After confirming the pregnancy, and a lot of tears, we knew that we couldn’t afford three kids in childcare. It made the most sense for me to stay home. So instead of starting to work full time, I gave my resignation. It was obvious that God had a different plan.

In May of 2020, after a downright awful delivery, I gave birth to another beautiful baby girl: Leah Grace. Times were tough when Leah was born. There were so many unknowns in regards to the global pandemic. Times were much different than when we had our older girls just a few years before. Our world changed quickly.

The moment that you meet Leah Grace, you know that she was meant for our family. Not only do our two older girls adore her deeply, she of course has won the heart of her Daddy too. For me, everything came easy with Leah. Maybe it was because I had already experienced a newborn twice before, or maybe it is because of the special bond we have. Don’t get me wrong, I have a special relationship with each of my kids, but Leah’s light has been my saving grace in a difficult year. She is my reminder that God is in control, His plan is better than mine for my life, and He knows exactly what He is doing. She is a reminder to us all that God sends us exactly what we need, regardless of what we think we want.

In the Bible, God promises to walk with us, protect us, provide for us, and help us always. When unexpected change happens, we can cling to this truth when we have nothing else to comfort us. God never changes. He is always who He says He is, and because of this, we know what to expect in the midst of the unexpected.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

God doesn’t promise us that we won’t experience troubles, suffering or heartache, but He does promise to never leave us or forsake us. We may not see it in our lives right now, we may not feel the "good," and we may not even believe it most of the time, but we are promised it. God isn't going to break His promise, He is working everything together for our good continuously.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

The fall of 2019, brought a lot of changes to our family. Leah Grace was our missing puzzle piece to a puzzle we thought was finished. Life didn’t go as expected, and at the time I didn’t understand. Now, I have seen the goodness of God's plan, because if it wasn’t for Leah Grace, I would not have been ready for everything that was coming next.

My friend, hold tight, because in the unforeseen changes and challenges you are facing, God is working for good, to give you an unexpected blessing too.