Olivia

Once upon a time, there was a little family. The Daddy & Mommy were Nathan & Heather. There was a boy named Jude, a boy named Charlie, & a toddler named Ruth. Nathan & Heather loved the Lord. They believed strongly in authenticity & allowed people to see through the cracks in their lives. Nathan wrote lyrics to songs. His songs had a purpose. His songs were real. Not only were they meaningful, they were beautiful. I believe his hope was that God would use his music to impact the lives of others. Nathan shared his story.

One day, Nathan & Heather received unexpected news. God was giving them a fourth child. I think they were happy stunned. As Heather's pregnancy progressed, sad news came to her & Nathan. Their little baby girl had Trisomy 18, a condition incompatible with life. Their hearts were broken. If their baby made it to term, they didn't expect her to live even a few hours. They sought the Lord and quickly realized that this story, Olivia's story, was to be shared with all who subscribed to their beautiful music, with all who followed them on Facebook, with all who knew them. It was a sad story, so sharing it would be difficult. Living it was even harder.

As they turned their hearts toward God, Heather began knitting a very delicate & detailed dress for her baby girl. One stitch at a time, she made the most beautiful dress in the world for her tiny daughter. It was soft, it was pretty, it was heartfelt. It was  custom made for their little doll. In the meantime, Nathan put his all into their music & realized God had already given him Olivia's song. That shouldn't surprise us because God knew they would need a special song for Olivia. After all, they were committed to sharing her precious, yet fragile story.

On the day Olivia was born, a very special photographer was present to capture Olivia's first & quite possibly, her only moments. Olivia lived a few moments, a few hours, a few days, a few weeks, then months, & then 1 year. Each day, each 24 hour day, her mama nursed her around the clock. They had a Hospice nurse who visited regularly & helped them learn to care for their delicate daughter. She helped them manage their expectations, to take each day of Olivia's life for what it was, another beautiful day. Olivia's needs were many. Few parents (if any) would have cared for this little angel as Nathan & Heather did. They lived each day of Olivia's life with utter exhaustion, but they never regretted one moment of caring for their tiny gift.

As each day passed, & Olivia was given one more breath, life continued to happen (as it always does). Jude, Charlie, & Ruthie had birthdays. They had the flu. Jude & Charlie had homework.  They had their own heartaches. Nathan & Heather reached out to their community of friends. They needed help, & people came through for them. I don't know how they kept their sanity & cared for Olivia, let alone her siblings. Sometimes Ruthie created artwork on the walls, artwork that only a toddler can do. Her parents tried to maintain their composure, their sense of humor, their sanity, & their desire to live for Christ. Any person who was blessed to witness this story grew as a human being as Olivia's story unfolded.

Olivia reached many milestones that never should have come to pass. She grew. She laughed. She held her head up. She even learned to drink from a cup. Her siblings loved her. Their lives will be forever change by this little sweetie. Her parents will never be the same. Their loss is immense. Olivia is what they did for 14 miraculous months & 4 days. And… now she is gone. The Lord took this little darling Home as she rested in her favorite place, her mama's arms.