Long Before You Were Born

I distinctly remember one Christmas Eve when I was about 11 years old. After my siblings and all the nieces and nephews left, it was time for bed. In the quiet of the aftermath, I stared out my bedroom window with a grateful heart. The moon cast a blue light on the twinkling snow in my yard – the dry kind that magically sparkles and feels powdery to the touch. I looked out in awe and offered my earnest petition up to God.

“Lord, I want to be a mommy. Please let me be a mommy someday.”

Pressing my fingers across the condensation of my window, I drew dewy hearts and implored God to listen to my prayers. I knew from early on that I was called to be a mother. Ultimately, your purpose is where your deepest joys, your highest talents, and the world's deepest needs intersect, guiding your life's meaningful work. What I didn’t know then was that God had a more specific plan for me. Indeed, He granted my prayer, my heart’s wish. He called me to be a mother, but even more specifically, He called me to be an adoptive mother.

He also called me to be a widowed mother.

And now I’m a widowed Oma.

Excerpt from "Oma's Silent Christmas Prayer" originally published on LinkedIn