Suddenly *Not So* Single Journey

Kenna’s gift for the rest of us…

Author: thenicknick

Babies are a blessing.  We all know this.  Some of us are just more acutely aware of this than others.  Take my cousin, for example, who is even as I write…struggling to get pregnant on another…her last…IVF cycle.  And then there are those like me who get pregnant easily, but have the darndest time staying pregnant.

My babies are such a blessing.

There’s something I never anticipated, however.  And that is…the gift that Kenna would give to us.

I’m not sure where to begin.

How about with…family is everything.  At least…it is to me.  I’ve always longed to have this big close family.  It’s what I’ve always been drawn to.  I grew up with a small family.  And we were close.  We did church together and Sunday lunch together and all of our holidays together.  And then I married.  I tried to have the family I had growing up.  Only the ex never wanted to go to church with us and his family messed up most holidays.  So, when I had the urge to move south, to start anew…the pull of promise was so much greater than all I was leaving behind.

I had hoped that the ex and I could have a new start far away from our problems.  Only…that didn’t happen.  I held on as long as I could.  Maybe I held on too long.  All that matters is that I’m happy now and I feel like I am where I was meant to be.  I’m having my second chance at love, at life, at family.

So Kenna was a gift.  She was so hard to come by.  And every day is still touch and go.

My dream of a family…still alive and kicking even though it has seemed so far away.

Rachel had moved out.  I was having issues with other family members.  S wasn’t feeling particularly warm and fuzzy toward his family.  And it felt like it was the two of us against the world.

Then Kenna was born.  Everything changed.

Dad and Vicki were at the hospital all day with us.  And I felt guilty because they arrived just before I was getting prepped for surgery.  It made for a long day for them.  It had already been a long day for us.

They stayed to see Kenna.  They stayed to see me.  We all talked once I was in my room.  And there were more visits, lots of visits, so many visits that the time in the hospital was a blur.  Dad and Vicki and Mawmaw and Christie, S’s sister, and Lonnie and Lindsay all spent time with me.  S was a constant fixture.

It didn’t end there.

That was just the beginning.

Soon, there was more healing.  Lots of healing.  Relationships that were strained…healed.  And I am so very happy about that.

It’s like a wonderful unexpected gift.  Kenna’s gift for us.

Babies are a blessing.  They have a wonderful way of bringing people together, reminding them how precious life is.  Ah, but Kenna has done even more.  She has given all of us a common goal.  We are all working together, getting closer, talking more, interacting more, all because we want Kenna to live.  It’s a gift that transcends family.

I am now getting closer to people I haven’t been close to for years…maybe ever.  Mere acquaintances have become friends.  And friends…well they are now family.  It’s not a bad way to live.

Kenna has quite the reach.

And I’m hoping her gift doesn’t begin and end with our family.  I’m hoping that everyone who reads is touched by my baby girl.  My wish for all of you is that you realize what a gift life is, how precious time is and that you stop wasting both.  I hope that you think about Kenna and snuggle closer to your spouse, kiss your kids more, pet your pooch, call your mom, make up with anyone you need to.

Think of Kenna and know that life and time are a precious gift.  Make the most of them.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 7:56 am and is filed under Reflections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.