Count It All Joy

As a young girl, I held the conviction that it was not right to bring children into the world when there are so many kids who need a loving home.

So it was no surprise when I got married that it took some years before I began to feel the maternal bug. When I finally realized that there would never be another human being from my family line to love and to share our family’s history, there was an immediate shift. Having a child of my own became crucial to me.

So I prayed as Hannah prayed, “Lord Almighty, if You will only look on Your servant’s misery and remember me.” Praise God! We became pregnant with our daughter, Alyssa. It was such an exciting time. I was so excited about the arrival of a new baby, and I couldn’t wait to hold my little one in my arms.

Things were going very well until one Sabbath, after a very long day at church, we went home, and there was a problem —spotting! I was rushed to the hospital, and the unthinkable happened— we lost our precious Alyssa.

We were devastated.

All my hopes and dreams were shattered and replaced by hurt, guilt, disappointment —but the most impacting was depression.

I could not see myself living in this world without my precious Alyssa. Life held no meaning for me. Eventually, I sought help in dealing with my loss.

And with the help of our very supportive family and friends who prayed for us and encouraged us, we began the healing process.

When the mourning of loss is matched by our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, new mercies come with each dawn. Although I will always ache at the thought of my beloved daughter, it gets easier with time. I have learned to give God thanks in all situations. Little did I know that five years later, after a long drive on a beautiful sunny day, two beautiful identical twin baby boys would be placed in my loving arms.

Oh, what joy! What incredible tiny hands and feet! I was in love.

The Lord had answered my prayer.

Anysia Alexander-Archibald