Christian Connection Thursdays

This is the first of my Christian Connection Thursdays where I spotlight a blog post from a Christian woman that has impacted me.

Some of you may already know Angie Smith. I discovered her only recently but she already feels like a dear friend (no, she doesn't know me from Adam, (her blog has almost six thousand followers), but spend some time on her blog and you'll know what I mean).

In January of 2008, Angie learned that the daughter she was carrying would not live. Some of her doctors recommended terminating the pregnancy, but she and her husband, Todd, chose instead to carry little Audrey Caroline, hope and pray for the best, and accept God's will.

She started her blog Bring the Rain, the story of Audrey Caroline as a way to keep friends, family, and even complete strangers who wanted to help and pray for her little family, informed about their journey through this difficult time.

Wesley (The Princess Bride) was right. "Life is pain." There is no shortage of people going through excruciating circumstances, but what sets Angie apart from the norm is her deliberate and conscious decision to choose belief and faith again and again in the midst of sorrow. Her absolute determination to look for the beautiful, the spirit filled, the healing, always with her face uplifted to her Maker is simply breathtakingly beautiful to read. That her prose is real, thought provoking, and tender makes her blog just that much better.

I stumbled upon her blog and an hour, and half a box of tissues later, I emerged. Fortified in my faith, grateful for her example and with great desires to be a more present Mom to my sweet brood.

Navigating her sight to find her story is a bit cumbersome so below are links to four of her posts that knocked me over.

This link is to her first post in January of 2008

If you only have time to read one post, make it this one. It's a tender letter she wrote to little Audrey a few days after her birth. It recounts the experiences of the pregnancy and birth. Bittersweet's the word. Yes, there's sorrow, but there is also joy, peace, and an abundance of faith.

This post is twenty two days after Audrey's birth. A dark day when light found it's way in via a sweet daughter.

Click on this link to read Angie's most recent post on Easter. It's a sweet perspective on the resurrection that she discovered after a conversation with one of her daughters and some time in the scriptures.

Do spend a few minutes with this strong, faithful woman. You'll be glad you did.