Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Suggested Blog

Last week, I participated in Linda's meme at 2nd Cup of Coffee - Random Dozen. She suggested that I blog about an answer that I gave to one of the questions. The question was "Have you ever been on TV?"

My answer was: Yes. When I was a little girl I was on the local kids show. Then I was on a show and interviewed about my children and how I raised them and taught them and some neat things about how I was told I couldn't have children and would never get pregnant, but God blessed me with 4.

I'm guessing that she was not talking about me being on the kids show. So, I'll share about my children.

When hugsum and I got married, I was a ripe old 23 years old and he was much older at 27. We wanted children right away. We didn't want to be old when they were grown so that we could enjoy life and our grandchildren.

We began to try to have a child. After about 6 months later I began to experience some strange symptoms in my body and called the doctor. They told me to bring a urine sample (that was back before the age of the home pregnancy tests). I did and anxiously waited for them to call. It was a long process ... you see, (for those who are not in their 60's) you had to have missed 2 periods and then call the doctor, then do the urine sample and they tested it and I don't know what all they did, but the saying was "the rabbit died"... meaning you are pregnant.

So, finally, the doctor's office called and said I was pregnant. I was so excited. I went around telling everyone - shouting it from the housetops! I still had not seen the doctor because, like I said, it took a long time to get in and well, they just didn't do things fast back then.

A few weeks later, before I saw the doctor, I began to experience some sharp pains and then began to "spot". I called the doctor and was told to lie down and keep my feet up and not to lift anything. The next week, after lying around all week being obedient, and still spotting, I went to my appointment.

The doctor examined me and said, "WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE PREGNANT????" I said that he had told me. He said that it was impossible for me to be pregnant. I had the uterus of a 10 year old and did not ovulate and would never make a normal egg and would never have any children.

He was not nice about it at all and was very firm in saying that IF I ever got pregnant, it would end up the same way, as a miscarriage, because it would be deformed. I made bad eggs, if any at all.

We went home from the appointment devastated. Not only was I not pregnant, but in all probability I would never be.

We were in a great church and Sunday School class and we had a wonderful support group. They rallied around us. We prayed a very simple, but faith filled prayer asking for children.

We then re-evaluated our lives. We decided that since the doctor said no children then we would just go ahead with our lives. We would finish our education and become Christian counselors. We searched out schools and degrees. We wanted to both get our PhDs and work together helping people.

In order to do this, we began to sell everything we owned, china, silver, furniture, everything. We decided to get a van and have it converted into a camper and just live in it until we graduated. We started the process. We chose Dallas Baptist College. We got an early morning paper route on Palm Beach to make an extra $100 cash a week. It was beautiful. The sun was coming up over the Atlantic and the moon was setting over Lake Worth.

We were so excited and full of anticipation at what God was doing and how our lives were going to be fulfilled and we would be able to help so many people. Then a strange thing began to happen. I would throw a paper and then have to throw up out the window... over and over and over. I thought I had a virus so just kept going. The only time I threw up was on the paper route.

Well, sure enough... I went through the process again and found that I was pregnant. We didn't tell as many people this time. We went ahead with selling everything and getting our camper. We moved from West Palm Beach, FL to Dallas, Texas.... found a good doctor out there who didn't know I couldn't have children.

We got a job at Buckner Baptist Children's Home as houseparents on the 3rd floor. We had 16 little boys who were ages 5 - 7 ... precious, precious boys!

Our first born son was born January 31, 1975. He was 3 weeks late.

God blessed us with three more children. There are wonderful stories about each one and how God gave them to us. That will have to be for another post.

I do not regret praying that prayer asking for children. I have been so blessed by my children. They are good and are raising godly children themselves.

I'm thankful, I'm blessed.

3 comments:

Heidi said...

A wonderful story of blessings from God.

So happy for you it worked out so well, Merrie.

Beverlydru said...

What a testimony! Love it.

Thena said...

That is such an awesome testimony. The Doctor apparently didn't know the Great Physician. Had me in tears.