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Subject: [FOLKLORE FAMILY] Tough Decision
Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 19:20:59 EDT

Tough Decision
By Kristi Powers

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's
womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your
works are wonderful, I know that full well." -- Psalms 139:13,14


It is that time of year again...the time for rainy spring days, the
smell of
budding flowers, and the sound of chatter on the softball field…

As I watch the tear-stained eighteen-year-old, I want to hug out all of
the
sadness and frustration she is feeling and tell her how much I love her.
Tonight may be the last softball game of her high school career. A
career cut short because a nagging knee injury needs surgery so that
she can be ready to fulfill her athletic scholarship at college. As I
gaze upon her face, I cannot help but think of how fortunate I have
been to know this beautiful young lady. However, I know how easily
her song could have been one that was unsung...

It was almost nineteen years ago that a teenager trembled as she
tearfully said to her mother and father the words that every parent
dreads... "Mom, Dad, I'm pregnant."

What a frightening time for a nineteen-year-old as she is just starting
her adult life and already facing an uncertain future. What devastation
for the parents as this is the last thing they would have chosen for
their
daughter. Thoughts of "we have failed her" to "I am too young to be a
grandparent", fill their minds. In a heartbeat the atmosphere in the
house becomes strained and the following nights are long for the teen
as she drenches her pillow with tears. Tears that come only when she
thinks no one can see or hear her.

Many try to persuade her to keep her options open, but there is only one
choice for this determined teen. The little life within her has now
become
her responsibility, and she will sacrifice all she has to see that this
precious being grows to be the young man or woman God intended
him/her to be. She is at peace with herself, and the choice she has
made…

A baby's first cries fill the air and an exhausted but proud, teenage
mom
holds her young daughter for the first time. She is inexperienced, but
is
determined to provide for her priceless daughter the best way that she
can.
If the first few days are any indication, she has a tough hill to climb.
Because of no insurance, she leaves the hospital early and takes her
daughter home, but the baby girl develops jaundice, and they are forced
back to the hospital. Her pediatrician tells her to leave the baby
in their care and to go home and rest. "You have got to be kidding me!"
she exclaims, refusing to leave her baby girl for even a moment.
Something
inside her clicks, and, with a determination that surpasses anything she
has
felt up to this point, she comes to grips with the situation. "You are
a mom
now. Deal with it," she quietly tells herself.

Life is not easy and many hopes and plans for the future are set aside.
The
early years are filled with tests and trials but it is a time in her
life
that she
wouldn't trade for anything. During those rough days and nights, she
need
only look at this tender creation God has given her to realize that the
best
things in life are right before her in the smile, the coo, and the laugh
of
this darling baby girl.

Those eighteen years have flown by, and I ponder all of these things as
we
slowly walk away from the softball diamond today. I think about all the
joy
this baby girl, who is now a young woman herself, has brought into my
life
and to those around her. I remember all the basketball and softball
games
that we as her family have sat through, proudly cheering her on. Not
only is
she the best all-around female athlete I have ever seen, she is also one
of
the classiest and I am most proud of who she is off the court. She
conducts
herself with grace and humility and shows kindness to all who cross her
path.
I cannot imagine life without my Jen, my darling eighteen-year-old
niece.

Tonight my heart is bursting with pride, love, and joy for this
remarkable
being
who came into our lives. I shudder to think if she had not been born.
How
different our family would have been, not to mention the lives of an
untold
number of people whom she has touched in her everyday life.

A scared but determined teenage mom made a tough decision all those
years
ago, and through it, gave us all the gift of Jen.

Kristi Powers






.·:*´¨`*:·..·:*´¨`*:·.
*: * Richiele * *
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