What's in a Name...

Heads up: This is a long story, but a good one! :)

When Benjamin was about a year old, we added to our daily prayer list to "let us know, Lord, if and when you'd like us to grow our family." I was experiencing very painful and confusing stomach issues still at the time, and Michael and I agreed that we should continue postponing any future pregnancies until (if and when) I felt ready physically and all was "well" with me again, and we felt that was God's plan. We continued enjoying our crazy-busy-happy life with our 3 busy little ones and just let God lead.

A few months later,... the stomach pain worse, medicines tried, tests and scans had been run to no avail...one morning I was SO sick and tired and frustrated. The kids were watching cartoons and I was reading my bible and praying. At this point, I'd been having severe pain at least 4 or 5 times throughout the days, every day. I didn't even know what else to do. Like the silly little Christian I am, the thought hadn't occurred to me- until that moment-- to really pray and ask the Lord to just TAKE it away. (Insert wisdom here: Prayer should be our first resource-- not our last resort!)

But sometimes God uses us at our weakest.

I was reading something... (I wish I could remember now, I probably wrote it down some place) but I was reading the daily Mass readings and something in the Gospel talked about praying and asking and receiving God's will for your life. Maybe even healing? I simply, practically through tears, cried and prayed wholeheartedly, Lord... I don't know what else to do. If it's alright, PLEASE take away this stomach pain. Please just take it away. Whatever your will is Lord." and then I drank my tea, finished my prayers and went about my day. It wasn't until about 24 hrs later that I noticed... wait a second...

I hadn't had ANY pain. At all. In two days. THIS... was unheard of. (For the past few months).

Now I knew in my heart WHY and WHEN the healing happened... and I told Michael, "You're never going to believe this..." and although he looked skeptical at first, he said, "Well, that's great!" and prayed a prayer of Thanksgiving with me. I said, "Let's wait a little longer, make sure it's gone, then we can tell our family." I waited... a few days... a week... then TWO WEEKS had gone by- PAIN FREE. I was amazed!! Why I was amazed at God's miraculous hand I don't know... but I was. Nothing had changed, no medicines, no diet changes, JUST prayer.

About two months after this incidence...we're praying our daily evening prayers and Michael says, "Hey... do you think this ... this is God's way of telling us, He wants us to have another child?" I was like, "Huh, why didn't I think of that? Let's keep praying about it..." and we did.

Now, each month I go to Adoration... silent prayer in front of the Holy Eucharist. It was during this time that God really started speaking to me (ahhh in the quiet... sure it was 5 to 6 am in the morning...but trust me, when you hear God so well in the calm and quiet, it becomes a treasured time!) I started reading a book about prayer in front of the Eucharist and it had many quotes and writings in it from Blessed John Henry Newman. For some reason, the name Henry kept jumping out at me. Well, and John for that matter, because I was also reading quotes from Saint John Chrysostom (Amazing man). Anyway I kept it all in my heart and mind and continued to pray about it.

The next few months really is hazy for me... I can't describe it all because I was just kinda "living it" and didn't know that later I would've wanted it documented ;) But I basically, in many different ways, kept having the name HENRY presented to me- so many times. It came up in reading, constantly, including my children's library books. It came up on the calendar, for the feast of St. Henry- which is in July. It came up in random conversations, just all the time, like it was billboard in my face! It was so strange. I finally thought, "OK what does this all mean?" I started thinking... maybe this is supposed to be... our next child?

Well, then I thought that was just silly, and I also thought Michael wouldn't like that name at all. It wasn't on our "lists" of names before. So then, half jokingly I prayed, "Ok Lord, you think this is his name? Let Michael love it then!" and I told Michael that night. All about my prayers, my readings, and basically said this...

"I think God wants us to try again, and it's going to be a boy, and we should name him... something."
Michael: "you know his name?"
Lisa: "Well yeah, I mean I think God has told me it."
Michael: "What is it?"
Lisa: "Henry"
Michael: (with ridiculously cute look on his face) "Awwww!!"

Oh. my. goodness. He loved it! I was honestly very surprised. But hey, God has His plans, right?

We kept praying about it and I thought, I don't get it... do you want me to try in July, Lord? (feast of St.Henry)... and then a friend of mine said, "You know, trying in October would make you due in July" and well, this is just another thing I can't describe adequately, but several other things in prayer led to "October" answers.

So then I, of course, approach my husband with the idea.
"OK... sounds good to me."
 We planned to try again in October of 2011.

Here is where God comes in, of course, just to give us a little surprise ;) We assume that I'll get my cycle about the 2nd week of October and try after that. Well, my usually very very regular cycle, decides to randomly run VERY long in September. Hmph. Well, that's just frustrating. Finally towards the very end (where normally we would have already been in the phase of infertility just before my period) we don't worry about it anymore. 6 days later I should've had my period. (sorry if this is too much information- it's all relevant to the story though...)

Well, it didn't come.

HA! Laughable. I know. The odds of us conceiving then (October 1st!) were pretty much virtually impossible. (side note- my doc looked at my chart and said "yeah wow... that was REALLY late in your cycle, you must've double ovulated in September. Otherwise there's no way that could've happened." haha)

It was too early to take a test, even though I already knew.

I knew him, I knew cause God told me about him before he was conceived.

Then a few weeks later when it would actually show, we decided to take a test. It was positive.
(We were not surprised!) :o) We were VERY excited and happy.

We told my Mom and Dad that very day... and then I realized something very cool. It was October 15th.

Exactly 9 months before the feast of St. Henry.

Hmmm... God is funny like that. :o)

Some of you may not believe, and that's ok. But this is the way God speaks to me... through many things... a wise friend's words, His Sacred Scripture, the loving responses of a spouse, the calendar I flip through each day. He let me in on His plans for this next new little baby in our lives.

And last week we saw his little face on the screen... heard the words I already knew deep in my heart,
"It's a boy" ....

Welcome Henry.

We know God has big plans for your life!

We love you so much and can't wait to hold you and see you face to face!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy
(Josiah, Lydia, & Benjamin)


“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” - Jeremiah 1:5


“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. 
He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. 
 I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, 
while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. 
Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.” 
           ― Blessed John Henry Newman