Like any good mother, when Karen found out that
another baby was on the way, she did what she could
to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new
sibling. They found out that the new baby was going to
be a girl, and day after day, night after night,
Michael sang to his sister in Mommy's tummy. He was
building a bond of love with his little sister before
he even met her.
The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an
active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist
Church in Morristown, Tennessee. In time, the labor
pains came. Soon it was every five minutes, every
three ...every minute. But serious complications arose
during delivery and Karen found herself in hours of
labor. Would a C-section be required? Finally, after
a
long struggle, Michael's little sister was born.
But she was in very serious condition.
With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance
rushed the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit
at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee.
The days inched by. The little girl got worse. The
pediatrician had to tell the parents, "There is very
little hope. Be prepared for the worst." Karen
and her husband contacted a local cemetery
about a burial plot.
They had fixed up a special room in their house
for their new baby but now they found themselves
having to plan for a funeral. Michael, however,
kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. "I
want to sing to her," he kept saying. Week two in
intensive care looked as if a funeral would
come before the week was over. Michael kept nagging
about singing to his sister, but kids are never
allowed in Intensive Care. Karen made up her mind,
though. She would take Michael whether they liked it
or not!
If he didn't see his sister right then, he may never see
her alive. She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit
and
marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry
basket. But the head nurse recognized him as a child
and bellowed, "Get that kid out of here now! No
children are allowed."
The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually
mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the
head nurse's face, her lips a firm line. "He is not
leaving until he sings to his sister!"
Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazed
at the tiny infant losing the battle to live.
After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure-hearted
voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang: "You are my
sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when
skies are gray ---"
Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse
rate began to calm down and become steady. "Keep on
singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with tears in her
eyes. "You never know dear, how much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away-"
As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged,
strained breathing became as smooth as a kitten's
purr. "Keep on singing, sweetheart!!!" "The other
night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you
in my arms..."
Michael's little sister began to relax as rest,
healing rest, seemed to sweep over her. "Keep on
singing, Michael." Tears had now conquered the
face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed. "You
are
my sunshine, my only Sunshine. Please don't, take
my
sunshine away..."
The next, day...the very next day....the little girl
was well enough to go home! Woman's Day Magazine
called it "The Miracle of a Brother's Song." The
medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called
it a miracle of God's love!
NEVER GIVE UP ON THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE.
LOVE IS SO INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.
Please send this to all the people that have touched
your life in some way. Life is good. Have a Wonderful
Day!
PRAYER:
May today there be peace within you. May you
trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to
be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that
are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you
have received, and pass on the love that has been
given to you. May you be content knowing that you are
a child of God. Let His presence settle into your
bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance,
and to bask in the sun. It is there for each and every
one of you.