"Accidental Births"?? I Don't Think So!!

God has blessed me with six nephews and two nieces. I am amazed at how different each one of these kids are. Our family was so excited with each and every birth. They span the ages of 26 to 6. (This includes both sides of the family.) While my nephews are amazing and crazy, I want to blog about my two blonde nieces.

First of all, the title of this blog doesn't mean that any of my family were accidents. I'm not even sure they were unplanned, but that's getting a bit personal with my siblings!! haha But the premise for this blog is that everyone in this world has a purpose. Many times, I don't think we even realize how we affect the lives of others. Since Mal's accident, I have really begun to notice pieces of God's beautiful plan. One of Mal's favorite expressions was "Everything happens for a reason." This includes the placement of people in our everyday lives.

Let me start with my oldest niece, Staci. She was born when I was 17. She was my baby!! I carted her around everywhere and claimed her as my own. I climbed into playpens with her, fixed her first ponytails, and loved her more than anything. She was my adorable flower girl and has been part of most all of the important events of my life. She even shares my wedding anniversary, love of shoes, and is also an English teacher. Joni and I have always said our girls were switched at birth. Mal shares many things with her Aunt Noni.

Staci and Mal have a very loving relationship. Stac was the big cousin. She carted Mal around with her!! When the girls were 1 and 6, they both dressed as Hershey's Kisses for Halloween. They were precious. As they became older, the realization of being raised only with brothers hit both girls. At this time, they decided to claim each other as sisters. When Staci would come home from college with the newest phrase of Staci-ish, Mal would instantly adopt that phrase and use it every chance she got. Mal was a candle-lighter in Staci's wedding and formed an instant bond with Staci's husband, Scott. I thank God over and over that Mal got to hold and see Eli for a couple months before she left us.





Carly came along a bit later. She is the third offspring from my brother, John and his wife, Meri. Mal was eleven when we found out Meri was having a girl. She had mixed emotions. Mal really enjoyed being Maw Maw's girl. She didn't think she wanted to share her grandma with another girl. She was excited, but was unsure that Maw Maw could love more than two granddaughters. She awaited the birth of another cousin anxiously. From the moment Carly entered this world, Mal never had those feelings again. Now it was Mal's turn to lavish love on a younger cousin. And believe me, she loved Carly to pieces!! She spent as many nights as she could with her. She and her friends took Carly places and loved treating her like one of the "big" girls. There was a bond between Mal and Carly that is unbreakable. My heart breaks every time I think of how Carly was affected by the loss of Mal.





Now, for the "accidental" birth issue. One thing I do remember from the night of Mal's accident was repeating over and over "not my girl!!" Our mother/daughter relationship was exceptional. And while I know I won't have that exact relationship again, I am once more amazed at how God has given me Staci and Carly to help fill that hole. Staci is filling the loss of my adult daughter. I love how she calls me when she has something exciting or funny happen in her life. I love how we can share teaching stories and stories of our husbands!! I love how she always greets me with a hug and kiss. And I love how her son, Eli, calls me Maw Maw!!

Carly brings back my memories of Mal when she was a little girl. Carly is eight now. She is so smart and talks to you like she's an adult. She and Mal had that in common. She's so affectionate and hugs and pats me all the time. But, this summer, I noticed a huge similarity between Mal and Carly that I hadn't seen before. My brother and I live right next to each other. Even living that close, we don't see each other very often. But for some reason, this summer Carly decided she needed to come and swim with me. (My earlier blog revealed my obsession with my pool!!) Carly has a pool in her backyard, also. I think the attraction to my pool was that our deck is attached and she loves jumping into the water. Their deck isn't finished yet. So when she saw me in my pool, she decided to join me. Just like her older cousin, Carly is a fish in the water. It was like having Mal with me again as a little girl. Their body shapes are so much alike. And Carly was standing on her hands and swimming around my raft and sticking to me like glue!! It was like having my eight-year-old Mal with me in the pool again.

So, as I think about these two blonde girls, I know that God gave them specifically to me!! He knew that he was going to have to take my girl home before I got there. And he knew that I would need TONS of help to continue on with my life here. So, he gave me these nieces. I really don't think either of them has a clue that they are helping their aunt move forward in her life. One of the blessings I have received from my Mal leaving me, is being able to slow my life down and marvel at how God has designed EVERYTHING!! Nothing in this life is accidental if you can follow God's plan and not your own.


Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.