Chapter 29 : Dancing and Dedication

Chapter 29 “ Dancing and Dedication”

Hey there!!!! Time is passing so quickly these days! It’s hard to believe I only have two weeks until summer vacation! I have so many things planned for little lady this summer. Swimming lessons, 1^st airplane ride, beach vacations, movie dates, etc. We can’t wait!

I have to tell y’all Dani Marie loves to dance! She has music flowing through her veins! I guess it may be a good thing that she didn’t have any chance of inheriting my lack of musical talent. She loves to dance and sing! Look out world; she may be the next American Idol. We love to laugh at her dancing. She “throws her hands in the air, and waves them like she just don’t care” on command. It is so precious.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. It is also child dedication at Gaston. This day is one that I longed for, hoped for, and then hurt for on so many occasions. I said for years that having child dedication on Mother’s Day almost seemed like salt in an open wound for a barren woman. I still pray for the people that hurt for so many reasons on this day, the ones who have lost mothers or babies. I know that God will give them the strength they need to make it through. I also hope that many people tomorrow will find hope and healing in Dani Marie’s story. She is our living proof that God’s plan far surpasses anything we could dream up.

I begged and pleaded with God for so many years to help our fertility treatments work. I cried out to him to heal my body. It never occurred to me to simply ask for His will. His will was to fix not my broken body, but my broken heart. He wanted to send me the most perfect little girl.

Tomorrow my husband and I will stand before our church and family. We will dedicate our Dani Marie to the Lord. We will pledge to give her back to him. I am so humbled at the thought of this. God handpicked her for us. He sent us the biggest heart in the tiniest of bodies. As I picked out pictures for the slideshow I looked back at the very first images of our hero. Her body was beyond tiny. Her ribs were so visible, tubes were everywhere, her skin was transparent, her lungs unable to function without machines, but she had those same eyes, the ones that she still has. Even when her body was tiny and frail her spirit was strong. She is perfect for us. God knew this. He knew exactly what we needed and He delivered her to us in His time. I am honored to dedicate her to the Lord. I hope so many things for her. I hope she always loves laughing. I hope she loves learning. I hope her friends will feel more like sisters. I hope she finds her prince without having to go through too many frogs. I hope she knows the joys of motherhood someday. I hope she always loves dancing.

Dani Marie,

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger

May you never take one single breath for granted

God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Living might mean taking chances but they're worth taking

Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth making
Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter

When you come close to selling out reconsider

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

 I love this song. I hope so many things for my baby girl. I will dedicate her to God in the morning, because my greatest hope for her is to know His love, his perfect love. He used her to remind me how perfectly, graciously, and faithfully he loves his children. More than anything, I hope she has a heart for Jesus.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mother~ and to Dani Marie’s birth mother. You two ladies have blessed me beyond measure. You two ladies have made the biggest impact on my life.

I love y’all,

Ashlee

 

P.S. I have found the best mascara! We all know I needed a great waterproof mascara with all the crying I do these days! Avon Super Shock waterproof! It’s the bomb!!! ( No I don’t sell Avon, it's a free plug.  )