Irony of Injustice with a Dash of Fantastic News

You know the famous coloquialism, or is it just a saying, or is it a verse, whatever it is..."God gives and God takes away"? I've been reflecting on that deeply for about three weeks now. Life is full of irony, but what makes it even more ironic is that if you look for the ironic side of a situation, it is impossible to hypothesize until the opposite indication presents itself.

To take you back, on January 27th I was (once again) late for you-know-what. About 8 days this time. Just wondering what else was screwed up with me, I made a mental note to call the specialist the following day to get a scrip to get my period started. I knew they would want me to have taken one of those dreaded tests, so I did my duty and stopped by the hometown pharmacy (the kind where everyone talks about who might be preggo because she bought a test...thank goodness no one there knows me yet).

This time, went home. Pee...positive. What? This is crazy! Told Jason, cautious optimism. Another test the following morning...positive. Is this a joke? Took a blood test that morning at the hospital. Positive....come back in two days to test levels. Saturday...doubled-you're pregnant! Congratulations! Come see us Friday and we will do an ultrasound. Oh my.

Where does the irony come in? Monday I left for a road trip. Not a fun trip. Not an exciting drive. Nothing I was looking forward to. That week I saw the injustice of our system. My brother was put on trial for the crime of another and convicted based on manipulation of facts from the prosecution, who was completely protected and "justified" by a "Justice" system that is a joke. I've always believed in the Greater Good, but that week I was robbed by lies and ommissions of fact that convicted an innocent man. Worst week of my life. Yet, I had just been given the greatest gift I could have ever prayed for, asked for, dreamed of.

The size of a lentil bean is what the computer said, based on how far along I was. What is a lentil bean? All I know is that it must be tiny. My little ray of hope amongst devastation.

We will survive. And, ironically, this little baby growing strong inside of me embodies so much greatness and goodness and love, before we've even had a chance to kiss his/her tiny fingers and toes.

February 5th-The first ultrasound was magical. After the trial, Jason and I made it back to our specialist by Friday morning to see and hear our little one's heartbeat. The baby looked just like a little diamond ring. The yolk sak the ring and the tiny baby the diamond. His/her heart causing the diamond to glisten like none other I've ever seen. We laughed and cried and hugged each other. Magical irony.

The next couple of weeks were a combination of celebration, sharing, fear and determination. Celebration of the new life that was going to fill a void of hope, sharing with friends and family the good news and blessing that is on the way, fear of uncertainty for my brother's future, and determination to make it right.

We are all so excited. I think that Jason and I are still in shock. We went for our first prenatal visit on February 16th with my new OB Gyn and were told that-surprise-we may be expecting TWINS!! I have to go back on March 2 for definite diagnosis, so we are anxious to know. My mother and father in law are coming to visit this weekend and we can't wait to finally hug them to rejoice over the good news that has been so long-awaited.

So, life is good. Life is real. Life hurts, but somehow, to us is restored happiness and joy and peace and patience and love.

That's all I have for today. Hoping all of those good things for you.

Aubrey