The Good Lord Giveth and the Good Lord Taketh Away

 Four years ago, our "goddaughter" Haley married Jonathan and had the most beautiful wedding, everything a girl could dream of, and the fruit of lots of plans.  What was not in the plans, however, was spending the next four years trying to conceive a baby.  Month after month of being disappointed, while doing everything medically possible as Catholics, was so very difficult for them.  During times like this, there is not much one can do except pray, and pray we did.  Every morning in the car on the way to school, at least one of us would pray for Haley to have a baby, each rosary at night was offered for a baby, every family novena was prayed with the specific intention of Haley getting pregnant.  

We were at Mass one summer Sunday, and out pastor mentioned that our parish would be participating in a 54 day Rosary Novena.  But what really caught my ear was that it was set to start on Brendan's birthday and end on Phil's birthday.  We got into the car after Mass and I told our family that we were being called to do this novena.  I printed out a calendar and hung it on the fridge to keep track:

Almost everyone in the family prayed the novena for Haley and Jonathan to have a baby.  I have to admit that I was so frustrated and tired of praying for something that obviously wasn't happening, that I chose a different seemingly impossible intention, because I am still only a practicing baby Catholic.  But God is bigger than me and prayers are answered in his divine timing, and guess who came over with big news to tell the kids right after their Novena ended:

We are all so very excited to welcome their baby girl Karoline (named after JP2 ~ Karol).  You can hear in the video the kids telling Haley multiple times how  much they had prayed for this.  So sweet and strong is the faith of children.

Sadly, merely a week later, Phil's cousin and her husband lost their precious baby girl, Eleanor, at 20 weeks gestation.  No parent should have to look at a casket that small, their pain and grief carrying them through days when they should be carrying their newborn in their arms.

Having both of these huge life and death events happen so close to one another, and both to people that we love, has made me ponder God's mysterious will.  Both of these families prayed and hoped for babies.  One had to wait four years, and the other had two children during that time and then lost their third.  As Catholics we pray unceasingly, knowing God's Will be done in His own time for the ultimate good.  We cannot believe that "God is Good" only when things are going right, but also in times of hardship.  He never changes. That's why the second half of that saying is "All the Time" and All the time, God is good.  We can merely have hope that we will one day understand His timing when we are reunited with Him and our loved ones.  Until then, we trust.

{ Meanwhile in Massachusetts, it's election day and we are praying and voting that our governor does not get re-elected.  She has passed a law that allows abortions up until the time of birth, an evil law that needs to be overturned.  Our cousin's family is devastated by the death of their 20 week old and yet it is legal in Massachusetts to kill a baby older than that.  How can one baby's death nearly kill her parents while another parent chooses to kill their baby?  Is one baby's life worth more than the other?  God is the only one who can give or take life.  I will continue to pray for the sanctity of all life and hope to have the faith of my children that the evil of abortion will not exist one day. }