Scars and Accreta Awareness

Good Timber 

by Douglas Mallach

The tree that never had to fight

For sun and sky and air and light,

But stood out in the open plain

And always got its share of rain,

Never became a forest king

But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil

To gain and farm his patch of soil,

Who never had to win his share

Of sun and sky and light and air,

Never became a manly man

But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:

The stronger wind, the stronger trees;

The further sky, the greater length;

The more the storm, the more the strength.

By sun and cold, by rain and snow,

In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,

We find the patriarchs of both.

And they hold counsel with the stars

Whose broken branches show the scars

Of many winds and much of strife.

This is the common law of life.

We all have scars, evidence of our own personal life journey.  My scars criss-cross my body.  They remind me that my life is a gift.  These holy markings are physical reminders of skilled hands who worked with God to save my life.

This month is Accreta Awareness month and we were challenged to post our scars.  Too many people have already seen my stomach.  As Ben gets older, I hesitate to keep telling my story.  

But, I hope my life will always be a witness that miracles happen and that his life was worth sacrificing for.  

Somewhere over the past two years, Ben's birth has grown from one of my worst experiences to one of my greatest accomplishments.  

I love that.

I advocate Hope for Accreta!

I advocate HOPE for anyone who finds themselves in a difficult situation with difficult decisions.

I believe in KNOWLEDGE, COMMUNITY, and FAITH.

I do not think everyone should have a large family.

I do not think large families are unhealthy or dangerous.

I do not think that abortion is always evil and wrong.

I thank God every day that I did not allow my doctors to kill my beautiful baby boy.

I do not think that God encourages us to be unwise in our family planning.  

I do think that life is worth dying for.

I know that God is with us in our darkest moments.

I know that He has a plan for us and He will tell us if we ask Him.

I wish I had been more aware of my uterine health before I got pregnant with Ben.

I am very concerned about the rising rates of uterine damaging birth control, elective surgeries, and Caesarian sections.

I am very inspired by the rising number of women PRE diagnosed with this condition. 

Today I am alive.

My magnum opus is nearly two.  He is an inquisitive little guy who likes to pretend he's a dog and prefers mud boots to any other footwear.

I am so grateful that my condition was pre-diagnosed.

I am so grateful for 200 blood donors who gave a small drop of their life for me.

I am so grateful for a community of family, friends, medical staff, blog readers, and strangers who touched my life and helped me to survive.

My soul feels the suffering of others with great empathy.  But, I have learned that the opportunity to suffer is a gift. My scars are witnesses of my conversion.

I have literally been born again and this experience has taught me more than I could have learned at any university.

I believe in life!

I have hope for Accreta!

I advocate for loving others, spreading goodness, and donating blood.

I feel grateful every morning for one more day on this beautiful Earth surrounded by the family that I cherish.

Life is so good.