Thanksgiving

Editor's note: This is part one of a five-part Thanksgiving week guest column series.

By Melody Hutson

There are so many things to be thankful for, and every day we should stop and reflect on the blessings in our lives.

I'm eternally thankful -- as many of you are -- for my grandchildren.

In 2002, my husband Jim and I learned we were going to be grandparents in December. A few months into the pregnancy, my son and daughter-in-law gave us the news that our granddaughter had been diagnosed with spina bifida. A specialist ordered more tests to confirm the diagnoses, but we would not know the severity until birth.

I remember this day vividly.

My daughter-in-law was in tears and my son was stressed. No parent wants to get a doctor's report that their baby is anything but perfect.

While I was crushed to hear the news and to see my son and daughter-in-law in such distress, I put my arms around them and said, "God's not finished with her, and we are going to believe God to give you a perfect little girl!" I proceeded to tell them about some of the miracles in my life, letting them know that God was in control. We did a lot of praying.

On Dec. 3, 2002, our phone rang about 4 a.m.

"Mom we're headed to the hospital. The baby's on the way," my son said. My husband and I jumped out of bed, packed, threw our bags in our car and made the three and a half-hour trip to Paris, Tenn. -- almost entirely on two lane roads.

It was an overcast, dreary and cold day. The tree limbs sparkled with ice from the night before, a reminder of the hazardous conditions we were driving through. The trip seemed like it would never end. I prayed all the way to the hospital.

"Welcome to Paris, Tennessee" greeted us just as the sun came out. The sun was exceptionally bright that morning, and at that moment I had a feeling of peace. I said to Jim, "She's just been born!" We found out later that was the exact time she was born.

Upon arriving at the hospital, we were greeted by our first granddaughter, Danielle, screaming at the top of her lungs. She was absolutely perfect and showed no evidence of spina bifida.

Danielle will soon turn 8 years old and is perfectly normal. She is a blessing to all our lives and is very talented in music. She started playing violin at age 4 and piano at 5. Recently she had the opportunity to play violin with 11 students from the U.S. in Japan and Singapore.

We have since been blessed with two more grandchildren -- Natalie Elizabeth and Abigail Helen.

Thanksgiving should not be the only day we thank God for his blessings. My grandchildren are a daily reminder that God does answer prayer, and we are so very thankful for his daily blessings.

Melody Hutson is a Cape Girardeau resident.