December 21, 2011
Happy Holidays: Reflections of a Miraculous Birth
When I think about Christmas, I instinctively think about the miracle of birth. Four million miracles (aka births) happen in our country each year and many more occur globally. On a hot summer night in the urban community of Harlem almost 30 years ago, I witnessed my first miracle as a volunteer and was never the same again. The mother was a young teen who had been pushing for approximately forty-five minutes. She suddenly let out a piercing scream and out popped the hairy head of baby who started to wail. The mother sat straight up and peered down at the baby whose body had yet to be delivered. The delivery nurse admonished her to lie back down so that the baby could be delivered properly. Oh what a humorous and miraculous sight. I was in complete awe.
The events leading up to the birth of a baby are amazing. It begins with fertilization. The male sperm cannot fertilize an egg until it undergoes specific changes. It has the task of finding the egg which lies outside of the uterus. Does it turn left or right to enter the fallopian tube? Only Nature knows for sure. In order to fertilize the sacred egg, the sperm must change its shape so that it can penetrate the egg’s protective barrier. Once fertilized, the egg must travel from the fallopian tube back into the uterus and implant into the uterine lining to begin its miraculous journey towards the human experience.
All paths to greatness begin with a journey. Sometimes that journey is simple. At other times it might be complex. Let us remember the journey of the three wise men that followed a star that led them to a special baby in Bethlehem. And may we also remember that each of our lives began in a most miraculous way.
I wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas and happy holiday.
abu1882 said,
December 21, 2011 at 10:49 am
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Pregnancy By Weeks