The Story of the Caboose and Angel

"I found something at the store and I hope it's ok with you that I got it" said my dear husband guardedly.  He then opened the bag and held out a caboose.

These words coming a year ago, a few weeks after our miscarriage.  I was still reeling in deep pain, our loss still very fresh.

I held it and looked at it.

He had hope.

He believed that there was a chance we might be blessed with another healthy baby.  I did not want to be hurt that deeply again with yet another loss.

I agreed to hold onto this caboose, knowing that we could always return it later or give it to someone as a gift...however, I could not allow myself to believe that we could actually be able to use it for a new baby.

The year before we had gotten an engine for T and a traincar for P to hang their stockings on...my thoughtful husband ,(and train lover that he is), saw the caboose last year and felt that we may have a need for a "caboose" at some point to complete our mantle.

Little did we know that that caboose would be sitting on our mantle this year belonging to our precious baby S Nicholas!

Shortly after the purchase of the caboose, last Christmas day we had the blessing of spending some time with my husband's beloved cousin Barb and her family.  She was so tender as she listened to me while I shared about the recent loss.  Barb then shared with me about her miscarriages.  After we had talked for a while, she gave me a beautiful angel.

This special angel holds 3 hearts.

Barb explained that she had faith that God would bless us with another baby in His time.  One heart for T, pne for P and one for a baby we did not yet have.

She appologized, somehow the hand had gotten broken between the time she bought it and the time she gave it to me.

 The angel has been on our mantle ever since that day.  For a few months she sat there and was a symbol of faith...then, last spring, after we knew we were pregnant with a healthy baby, this angel became a poinent reminder of God's incredible faithfulness, grace and love.

We've never gotten around to fixing her hand but for this picture I wrapped the wire around it to hold it on.

 Just as I was attaching her hand, it occurred to me that like this hand, how broken I have been this past year and yet God took my pieces and made something beautiful out of the pain.  Unintentionally, her newly reattached, yet still broken, hand happens to look as if it were palm up, in full and complete surrender to God.

Also, amazingly, I looked at the pictures as they loaded into the computer and I noticed something really neat.  The lighting on this picture looks as though her face is pointing heavenward.  (Compare to her face in the 1st picture above)

How truly fitting!

 ~ Thank You, dear Lord, for making beauty from ashes...