Mother’s Day 2000
I gave Jim a quick kiss when I read his cards, and then I opened the package, which he had meticulously wrapped himself. Inside was a darling little doll in a green travel case. The pretty blond had on a frilly dress and tiny little socks and patent leather shoes.
“She’s adorable honey. Thank you.”
“She’s blonde and beautiful, just like you.”
Jim served me lunch, and we chatted about our ministry schedule and upcoming events as we ate. When we finished our meal, I stood up and started to clear the coffee table.
“Leave that for a minute,” He said. “I have another present for you—“
“Jim!”
“No, its not something tangible, so don’t protest.” I sat back down on a small sofa beside him. “Come here, baby.” He put his arm around me and pulled me close.
I studied his face for a minute. He looked very serious and yet very caring. “Tell me about this gift,” I said.
“The doll reminded me of you,” He began, “But it’s really just a symbol of my love. It represents the one thing I’d give anything in the world to be able to give you —-a baby.”
He paused as his eyes grew moist, and his voice was husky with emotion as he continued.
“I know that the greatest dream of your life was to be a mother, but that’s not possible anymore. So my real Mother’s Day gift to you, Lori Beth, is to tell you that if you still cherish that dream of being a mother, we can adopt a baby.”
I couldn’t say anything at first. I simply looked into his adoring eyes, brimming with tenderness, and my eyes began to fill with tears as well. I knew in my heart this was not something Jim had said lightly or on the spur of the moment; it was something he must have thought about a great deal.
God had given me a man whose unconditional love for me was almost beyond my comprehension, and his desire to make such a sacrificial gift—to become a father again at the age of sixty and to raise a child that would not even be his biologically—overwhelmed me for a few moments.
“We couldn’t adopt a baby right now,” Jim said, “But we won’t always be on the road. Things are going to settle down soon, and when they do, you can have a little buddy.”
We talked about how much fun I would have dressing up a little girl and taking her places with me and doing things together. “But I know longer need a baby to fill me,” I said. “ My life has been filled with children—my nieces and nephew; my namesake, Little Lori; my “girls,” who are like my own daughters. Then there’s Armondo, who will always be my foster son. And especially your two children, whom I adore. I even have two grandkids now!”
But I still longed for a child of my own.
When I reflect on my past, I realize that the number one thing satan tried to rob me of was family and children of my own.
He shouldn’t have done that.
Dearest Lori,
I love watching you on Morningside, your smile, laugh, how your LOVE for JIM shows. Your story before Jim is heartbreaking. I never went thru any of those things and my heart goes out to you. I’m so glad the devil did not finish his diabiolical ways in your life. I know it’s a constant struggle, we all go though with his constant prowling in our lives, moment after moment. Thank GOD for JESUS and the HOLY SPIRIT, & all that was sacrificed because GOD loved US so much. I also had an abortion. it was called a theraputic . I developed german measles. I had 2 beautiful children , one 2-1/2 our daughter , dark hair and eyes like her Dad, and a blond, blue eyed son. Somehow I never felt like there was a baby because in 1971 we had no way of knowing , & I was very naive. I never even heard the word abortion until then. We didn’t know what was going on , at least I didn’t . No one in our family had ever had one. Well the Dr. said, you have 2 beautiful children and you could spontanous abort anyway. I was treated very badly in the hospital, and was in the same room with a young lady who had just had her baby. I was in at that time for 2 days, and cried alot. God knew I wanted another child and I had a precious little girl. I was so scared God would punish me and let all these things be wrong with her, I couldn’t even watch her being born, & then after delievery she wasn’t crying & I kept crying out there was something wrong with her, which they kept reasurring me that she was o.k. So there is my 3 very very precious moments that God gave me. We enjoyed) every minute of raisi They are all in there 40’s now & we have six grandchildren. My heart breaks every time I think of all the abortions in the United State & elsewhere. These girls don’t know how they will suffer for their mistake of having an abortion. Thank you for all you & Jim are doing with Lori’s House. I feel so blessed just watching it go up. I’m in my late 60’s and my husband is the same age as Jim. I think of my little one all the time and have shed many tears. But I know I’ll see that baby or grown up in Heaven, I don’t know if the babies grow up or maybe God sends them to someone else. I heard from some source that the Angels bring the spirit of the baby to God and he assigns them to the couple or to the single Mom, bless there hearts). And he names the baby, & off they go with the Angels, it’s such a cute little story. Well dearest one, May our wonderful Lord and Saviour be with us all in the next prophesies that will be fulfilled. Love you in Christ dear Sister, Sally
No, he shouldn’t have. For greater is He that’s within you, than he that is in the world.