You, Arabella Nani Ellis, surprised us, the medical team and the world. And we celebrated YOU! Today, 6 years later we still celebrate YOU!
As Mayla and I huddled together this morning on the couch, we scrolled through hundreds of photos together. Our voices went from songs of praise for all the people that hospital room held and the cherished memories to tears steaming down our cheeks as we both longed to have her in our life to full tears and sobs at all the passing time and missed moments to shouts of JOY for all that ‘incompatible’ baby accomplished in 45 hours. I answered questions Mayla has never asked and we watched videos Mayla has never seen. We both sat breathless as we watched Arabella taking her first breathes on an incredibly sweet video my husband filmed. Behind the camera tears of joy were heard coming from him as he watched in amazement the miracle before his eyes. She’s alive!!
Lately when I hear the song “Resurrecting” by Elevation Worship, it takes me back to our journey with her.
“By Your spirit I will rise
From the ashes of defeat
The resurrected King,
is resurrecting me
In Your name I come alive
To declare Your victory”
When we first got the news of her diagnosis it felt like defeat. If felt like defeat many days walking through our pregnancy. It felt like defeat when she left this earth. However, that’s not the place I stayed and that’s not the end of the story. The resurrected King picked me up, million times over and his work in me had made me come alive. Death is not the end, and that same King who defeated the grave wants you to come alive along side him to declare HIS victory. A lot in our life feels like ‘death’ right now. Arabella taught us to #celebrateeverything to pass onto others. The only way that’s possible is through the mighty grace of God. And I would LOVE on her birthday or any day, to share more of His great big huge love for YOU, my friend.
Happy 6th Birthday my sweet girl who I miss every day. You Arabella Nani Ellis are a gift from above.
No foot is too small to leave an imprint on this world.
