Why Celebrate?

Can you believe it has been two years since we met our sweet Jordan? His birthday is March 10! It is coming up fast. As our family has discussed how best to recognize the miracle we received in meeting Jordan, we have had many thoughts. We want to set apart time with family and friends to celebrate our miracle, while keeping in our thoughts the pain it may cause some to remember our loss.

Jen is now enrolled in college and, as required reading, read a book called “The Prophet.” While for the most part she didn’t enjoy the book there were a few poignant passages that she found gripping. She posted the entire book report on her blog, but here is one small excerpt:

Gibran speaks of the tie between joy and sorrow: “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being the more joy you can contain…When you are joyous look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful, look again into your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” The twelve weeks between Jordan’s diagnosis and his birth are this passage lived out. Every moment of deep sorrow, was only there because of the immeasurable joy that Jordan brought to us. Every moment of joy, was at the cost of deep sorrow.

Jen has spent the past few weeks diving deep into the bible to find a verse that had touched her years ago, and for some reason was eluding her now, remembering a verse when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and built up a memorial to help them teach their children about God’s faithfulness and to never forget about the miracle they received that day. Jen searched Exodus over and over, but couldn’t find the verse. Finally through a friend, she found the verse it was in Joshua chapter 4. The reason she couldn’t find it was because it was not the Red Sea that was crossed that day, and it wasn’t Moses doing the walking. The verse was when Joshua crossed the Jordan River! It is like Jordan and his little brother Joshua were calling out from Heaven to tell us the verse!

In the past two months as we have anticipated Jordan’s birthday our lives have been disrupted three times by bank holidays. The banks, the nation’s government and even schools were shut down three times. All three of these holidays were in celebration of the birthdays of great people, who touched the world with their amazing deeds yet, have long since died. Still we as a nation take time off and reflect on the wonderful works of these men.

Jordan touched our lives in a way that no one else ever has or ever will. He was the boy we were told would never live, yet he did live! He is God’s proof of miracles in the present times!! He continues to touch and change the world even today!