9 precious years of Tay...

I wrote this last year when Tay turned 8, but hadn't started a blog yet, so thought I'd copy and tweak a few things, but even in rereading this I'm once again reminded that it's so good to remember.  This has been a sweet year for Tay, but the year before was difficult.  God is good.  Today as I celebrate Tay I'm celebrating the faithfulness of my Psalm 18 God (you will just have to read it yourself:).  He has truly come to our rescue...to Taylor's rescue and she knows it, so because of it she also knows God.

The Repost:

The circumstances surrounding Taylor's birth were quite dark.  My water broke eight weeks early, Jason's grandma passed away the day before Tay's birth, and one of our closest friends passed away the day after all the while our precious baby was hooked up to machines that were breathing for her.  We cried out to God with friends and family, and, well, obviously she came through.  It is so true that in our darkest time the presence of God seems so much more...present.

From the very beginning the words we've used to describe Tay were delight and precious.  As her personality grew we added freedom to the mix.  Because she was premature she just seemed dainty and small for longer than the average baby through toddler years.  Cuddley cuteness (just watch the videos I posted).

I remember when Tay was from about 3 to 5 she would come in during our band practices for worship at church and flip around like a hit squirrel (her version of dancing) the entire hour...by herself...no cares. She made up songs on a regular basis--"girls are precious, precious girls jump in the air. They jump in the air because (rest) they (rest) are (rest) precious!"--beautiful, isn't it?:)  We, absolutely loved these moments! I envied her freedom.

It's crazy, though, how one brief moment can bring everything to a screeching hault.  The death of a young Impact band member, and son of a dear family to us just wrecked our family in some unpredictable ways.  We left to go to a gathering at this families home, but we had to take two cars so someone could borrow one of ours.  I thought Jason had Tay, and Jason thought I did.  You know where this is going, don't you...yes, we left her at home.  As soon as we got to our destination we, of course, realized in terror that Tay was at home alone  at 5 years old.  Jason flew home to pull up and see Tay sobbing at the door.  When he arrived at the Niemeiers again.  The first thing Tay said to me through that after sob kind of stacato-like way, "When-I-saw-you-pull-out-I-prayed-that-God-would-tell-you-to-come-back-and-you-did-."

You know when someone has a physical trama, and has to relearn something through rehabilitation and therapy...well, that was Tay...an emotional trama robbed her freedom, so we had to rehabilitate.  But it is so true that when Satan means to destroy, God takes that and turns it into something good.  In that moment of desparation she turned to God and he answered.  This was what I believe to be an early beginning of a childs trust in God.  It seems so minor really, but at the time surrounded by the death we were working through it was huge.  Tay followed me around the house for probably 2 months just afraid I was going to leave her at home, but yet on the other hand she would talk about God in a way I'd never heard her talk of Him before.

Then as the years have passed Tay has faced a new battle of her mind that some of you have prayed through with us.  She was having very consuming thoughts that were so obviously without a doubt the attack of the enemy.  It didn't matter what we prayed or how we tried to work through this she was slipping...our hearts were so devasted by her loss of joy, and her many tears over her thoughts.  But once again, the enemy comes to kill steal and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life and give it to the full.  And what the enemy plans to use to steal away our joy God has a whole other plan to take that and somehow in his ever creative way turn it into something good.

We began to fight off the enemy with having her speak out loud "I am a child of God, and the enemy cannot touch me".  We wrote verses on 3x5 cards, and taped them to the side of her bed so she could read them when she was struggling through these times.  She has those verses memorized, and it is so awesome when we are in conversation and she says, "that's kind of like the one verse..." and then she will quote it.  Enemy defeated.  

I know God's plan for Tay is very unique.  She finds so much joy in helping others.  She genuinely finds so much satisfaction in working hard.  Which is why I think she will eventually succeed in whatever she puts her heart and mind to (wow! I sound like a pretty pathetically objective parent).

On the lighter side of life Tay loves making friends.  She loves soccer, violin, piano, gymnastics, dance, singing, drawing, writing stories, helping me in the kitchen, creating wedding dresses with her sisters...Seriously, she loves it all...she is not accomplished in any of these things yet, and, no, we do not pay for lessons and clubs for all these things either:), but she just loves trying new things.  

I love how she's always humming.  During the time she calls "the time I had thoughts" the humming abruptly ended, but I distinctly remember the day I heard her humming again...rush of emotion!  Sometimes I'll ask her what she's humming, and she'll say,  "just something made up", or she'll give a specific title, but I love it when she doesn't even realize she's singing.  It's instinct--It's a reaction to the joy in her heart..."restore unto me the joy of my salvation", and He did.  God's Word is alive to this little girl, who has mad it alive to me. 

God gave us a 4 lb. beautiful gift 9 years ago that changed our lives forever.  What a sweet miracle, and awesome blessing.  I love my Taylor Hope Lena!  

A rough start...

pure joy

sweetness

she loves to do just about anything...

she finds the beauty in the boring

This right here is precious personified!