Thankful for My Life and God's Plan

Isaiah 49:15

Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.

As I read the daily readings for Mass on Wednesday, March 13th, Isaiah 49:8-15 - the last verse jumped out at me. My heart aches because of the callous disregard so many people have for the innocent babes in their mother’s womb.

I wrote the following story for my blog on February 4, 2024.

Hello out there! The weather forecast for today is - Sunshine and Skirt Alert! It is windy outside! I've been thinking about how to begin and write this post all week. I'm praying that God will guide my hands as I type these words that come from deep within my heart.

The phrases that come to my mind as I sit here today are:

 Life is a gift. Life is like the pieces of a patchwork quilt or the pieces of a puzzle.

 Bloom where you are planted. Rejoice and give thanks to the Lord! Etc.

I'll begin with the title of my blog: Adopted and Blessed

I was adopted when I was three days old. I've always loved the story about the day my family came to take me home. I was given my name on that day. Last weekend, my brother and sister-in-law stopped by for a visit as they were traveling through town. During our visit, my brother gave me some special cards he found while going through some old paperwork. We looked at the beautiful congratulation cards given to my family from their friends in our home town. My brother is eight years older than me and he remembered most of them as we looked at their names. We laughed at how different times are now, they were all signed, Mrs. (the husband's first name and their last name). I'm pretty old fashioned so I'm proud to be called, Mrs. Jim Ynostrosa. The design of the cards is amazing and just so sweet! One of the cards is signed from all the ladies who blessed my family with a baby shower. I already had the newspaper clipping from that shower and I showed it to my brother and sister-in-law. I was so happy to have the card that went with it. I paper clipped the small article from the paper to the card. There was also a dainty, printed white napkin with my name, Sharla Kay. One of the cards was like a little booklet and the title says: 

God's Masterpiece 

(and next is the words on the first page)

From graceful lilies pure and white, God fashioned lovely skin;

Forget-me-nots He chose for eyes,

Then formed your baby chin.

Each page describes how precious a new babe is - the following are the last two pages:

For dainty little fingers dear

And precious, tiny toes,

He used the slender daisy frills;

A snowdrop made your nose.

This world and all within it

He created here for man;

But Baby was

"God's Masterpiece"

Since time and life began!

My brother also gave me my original birth certificate, the one from the hospital where I was born. I've always had my official birth certificate, the one that lists my name, my parent's name, and the county I was born in, and the time of my birth. There's a dash (-) for the name of the hospital. I showed them the certificate I had and we looked at the one from the hospital - another piece of the puzzle. Now I know what hospital I was born in. The original certificate shows my footprints. I paper clipped the two birth certificates together and thanked my brother for bringing these treasures to me. 

I didn't have time to show these special, keepsake memories to my husband until the next day, Sunday. We sat down and looked at them together. As I looked at the birth certificate from the hospital, I realized that for three days no one called me by my name. There are many lines left blank. No name listed. The certificate only has my footprints, and lists the time of my birth, day and date, my weight and length, and of course that I'm female. I went into our room and prayed. I thanked God for my guardian angel who was right by my side. I thanked him for the nurses who held, rocked and fed me. I thanked God for my family who came to take me home. I prayed for my birth mother, as I've done before, asking God, if she wondered about me, to let her know that I'm okay, and have been much loved, and blessed. I pray that she has been much loved and blessed also. 

I was a happy child, I never met a stranger, and loved everyone. I've always been joyful and thankful - the kind of person that makes lemonade out of lemons, and thinks it's okay to dance in the rain (unless it's lightening or raining really hard!). I know without a doubt that God has been with me my whole life. I found this scripture from Psalms about five years ago and I love it -

Psalm 22:11

From my mother's womb; you have been my God.

I share this personal story because I want people to understand that we need to respect life in and out of the womb. I pray that this story about a time not so long ago, (I turned 60 in December) will be a seed that will be planted in fertile soil, and that we will water this seed of life and help it grow, and that it will spread and that all babies will be seen as "God's Masterpiece" and family life and marriage will become important once more. Yes, I have high hopes, but with God, all things are possible. When I look at my hospital birth certificate, full of blank lines I don't see unplanned or despair... I see God's mercy, His grace, and a small part of the patchwork of my life. I have bloomed where God has planted me. Yes, I'm adopted, thankful, and so very blessed!

 Peace and blessings to you and yours, near and far, wherever you are! Bye for now, Sharla