"See what you have to look forward to now?" The whisper in my ear made my smile widen. It was Dec. 10th and we were on our first outing with our new baby. She was only 10 days old, but we braved the frigid Yukon winter to attend the Christmas pageant at a small mission church. I knew the service wouldn't be a grand production. The "church"...

Story told by Anita Aubuchon, written by Alli Vail My second husband and I were married on August 5, 2000 and we immediately began talking about having a baby together. Although I was 38 and had three beautiful daughters from my first marriage, I wanted to give my husband a child of his own. We named the child we were planning Zachary Curtis and...

On New Year’s Eve 2002, I was still unsure how we would be spending the evening. I never expected that I would be in the waiting room of an ICU. To my shock and horror, my two-month old granddaughter, Shayla, was in a near coma and her prognosis was grim. Feeling powerless The reality of this situation was difficult to take in. I felt shock,...

I had always been fortunate in the past. I was a quiet girl and I kept to myself. The sharp-tongued gossips in town had always left me alone. My life was not interesting enough for a discussion in line at the market or over a cool drink in a shady café. I studied, worked hard and spent time with the other girls my age. It was hot where I grew...

He told me with a pair of diamond earrings. “Happy birthday,” my husband said, his eyes glassy. I knew something was wrong. My birthday was still a few weeks away. Then David said it: he was going to Iraq. He’d received orders that his squadron would be deployed in a few weeks, and he would be leaving for war… on my birthday. He’d...

The very first time I used the phrase “kiss of heaven” was just after the birth of our first daughter, Amy Jaye. I was scrambling to find a way to describe knowing that the supernatural has intervened to bring you to the place you are in today. I think my heart had asked to be a mother as long as I can remember. Years before we became pregnant,...

“Mom, embrace it!” My initial response to Amber’s words were, “Yeah, right, that’s easy for you to say.” But within seconds I thought, “She’s right. I really don’t have any other choice.” But with that “embrace” has come anguish as we’ve grieved but also much joy as we’ve seen God’s blessing in both the journey and...