miracle on 500 west

i am officially an aunt.

little Bailey was welcomed into the world very early sunday morn, and i have been going baby crazy ever since. i'm quite certain every nordstrom employee now knows that she weighs 10 pounds 2 ounces, seeing as i couldn't refrain from talking about her nonstop at work today. i think the whole family has been walking on air after a safe and happy delivery for both nicole and bailey.

tonight at work, a customer came into my department and was returning a diaper bag, still new with the tags. i asked her, as i usually do with returns, if there was anything wrong with it or if she needed help finding something else. she paused and then said, "no, i bought it for my niece but the baby died at birth."

i immediately began to cry, and so did she as she told me the heartbreaking story of her niece's first baby. they didn't know anything was wrong until the mother went into labor, and upon arriving at the hospital and hooking up the monitor for the baby, they could not find a hearbeat. she was born, perfect and beautiful and still, and held by her family only briefly before they had a funeral for her. they named her Hope. all i could think of was how grateful i am that Bailey was safe and healthy, and my heart broke for this family who was not given the chance to know their daughter on earth.

after the customer left, i could barely hold it together so i had to go into the stockroom. i cried tears of both gratitude and sorrow. just recently experiencing the joy a baby can bring made me feel the terrible loss this tragedy brought to another family. we have been truly blessed and the gospel is true! we are children of God and he sends each of us here, even if just for a brief moment, to help and inspire each other.