If anyone would have told my husband and I twelve years ago that our daughter, Alexandra would be bowling with her friends for her twelfth birthday we would have looked at them with disbelief, and said :" Yeah! Right!!". We would have brushed that thought aside and concentrated on the task at hand which was praying for her survival. Our motto back then was just to take things one day, or even one minute at a time in the hopes of bringing her home some day. That day, eventually came eight months later!
However, bowling is exactly what Alexandra did today accompanied by her classmates and teachers, and what a day it turned out to be!! As we watched her roll down that ball this morning, we couldn't help but remember the day of her birth, twelve years ago. A day that will mark and change life as we knew it to have been to a completely new turn. A day that brought this tiny little girl into our lives and hearts. A child so small that she was termed "no bigger than a stick of butter." For twelve years ago today, our daughter, Alexandra, was born prematurely weighing only 12 ounces and measuring 8 inches in length. Twelve years ago, today, we did not know or even anticipate what the future would hold. She was the smallest baby to have been born at that hospital and as we watched her lying in the glass box that became her surrogate home for the next eight months, we definitely did not expect her to be bowling on this same day twelve years later.
Today is a special day. It is a day so different than that first day twelve years ago. It is definitely a day to celebrate her birth, her friends and her teachers. Today, we saw her enjoying herself and celebrating with her classmates. We are thankful and blessed for the little girl who has come so far. We praise God for this miracle He has brough into our lives, whom we call our daughter.
Today, Alexandra, bowled to her and our heart's content. She clapped; and watched her ball intensely heading towards the pins to strike her success. She smiled and winked our way as if to say: "see what I can do mom and dad." Her biggest gift was the acceptance and love she shared with her classmates and teachers.
We will always be indebted to those teachers and her friends who made today's birthday celebration a reality. We admire their dedication and the love they show Alex every day. She is one of the team and they have definitely brought much happiness to her school life.
Today we fought tears in our eyes to see her being included in all the commotion that a game such as bowling involves. We were drawn into the excitement when it was her turn and joined her classmates as we all cheered her on: "Go, Alex. Go.."
Happy Twelfth birthday sweetie..
Copyright 2010. Najwa S. Hirn. All rights reserved.
