"Miracle Baby" lyrics by Jess Coffman

Yesterday I posted about my Muse, and the inspiration that I received when I was thinking about one of my best friends. I would like to share those lyrics with you, and I have to admit that I am pretty excited about them. 

First, I would like to tell you about my friend. She and I have a very special relationship though we have not lived on the same coast for 10 years, and we go sometimes months without talking. We were best friends in High School, and have many hilarious memories from those days. I am actually cracking up right now as I write this. We call each other "Fraggle Queens" which came from a night in ninth grade when we put our short layered hair up in high ponytails, and scotch taped our faces to scare her younger brother. Another time, we constructed a "poking device" made from a hanger and a wooden skewer, to squeeze through the window of my little red truck, to retrieve my keys which were in the ignition. We totally succeeded. 

She and her older brother would always make fun of my erect posture and would call me "Peter Pan," so one year I dressed up as "Peter Pan" at one of her parties and we ended up stealing "pirate booty" from a neighbor's yard. The "pirate booty" was actually just some multi-colored glass rocks that looked like jewels, and we returned them that night when things started to go awry. There are so many great memories from those days when we were incredibly inexperienced with boys, booze or anything else that could get us into trouble. We had mostly good clean fun, and we loved it. 

As we got older, we supported each other through separation, divorce, broken-hearts, questioning faith, cancer and sadly her grandmother and father's passing. But there have been some really wonderful things that we have celebrated together too, the marriage to her lovely husband and now her new baby boy. She has been the inspiration for three of my pieces that I am really proud of. 

The lyrics that I wrote yesterday morning were inspired by her Miracle Baby. Last year, after her father's struggle with cancer had taken his life, and her mother-in-law had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she was devastated and feeling very hopeless. It was absolutely understandable, but so heart-breaking to see her so dispirited. She is naturally and ordinarily one of the brightest shining souls I know. It was during this time that she confessed to me that she was overwhelmed by so much sickness and loss of life, and that she just wanted to be able to create a life herself. She and her husband had been trying to get pregnant for months, but it hadn't worked out yet. When she finally got pregnant, it was such joyous news because it brought much needed hope to their families. 

Everything was going great with her pregnancy, until one morning at about eight months she had excruciating pain. Her husband took her to the hospital and the doctors recovered a forgotten cyst twisting on itself and engulfing her right ovary. They decided that it was necessary to do an emergency C-section birth of the baby, and then remove her right ovary. She was in shock, but the doctors reassured her that her baby would be fine, and she would still be able to have future children with her one remaining ovary. It was an unplanned and tense day, but everything worked out fine. The baby was healthy and the mother was recovering and feeling good too. 

Unfortunately, her doctors came to her a few days later with terrible news. They had biopsied her removed ovary which is a standard practice, but unexpectedly found ovarian cancer. Apparently ovarian cancer is one of those silent killers in much older women, it is not ordinarily something that younger women suffer from. Though it is not something that can be checked in a regular pap-smear, so  a woman has no idea when she has it. 

This is where the Miracle Baby comes in. Her doctor told her that if she had not gotten pregnant, the cyst in her right ovary would never have grown. Furthermore, the unknown cancerous tumor in her right ovary would never have been detected and removed. Her son essentially saved her life. But her son's birth not only saved her from sickness, it also restored her faith and provided her with a new life perspective and love to share with her family. 

Though, I would like to share that my friend is not completely in the clear yet. The doctors are about 90% sure that she is cancer-free after a recent PET scan, though another surgery in a few weeks will take a closer examination to ensure that she is. I ask for your prayers or positive thoughts with her in mind as she awaits her fate. 

Thank-you!

Miracle Baby

I felt your presence there,

And suddenly magic!

You changed every thought in my head

from just me, to us both. 

I felt you move inside,

A miraculous, glorious gift 

That sparked much needed hope. 

On a beautiful day,

Your Dad took me to sea,

On a beautiful boat he made just with his hands. 

As we laid down to love,

Our young fingers entwined,

As the sun glimmered bright, our beloved wedding bands. 

And we breathed you to life,

As our breath slowed to calm

On that beautiful day,

When we basked in our love. 

What a beautiful way 

To begin a new life,

On the uncertain sea,

Before God up above.  

I never wanted more,

Than a family, richer in love over richer in means. 

And I finally  do. 

I never wanted more,

Than a baby to restore my hope,

But I've found more in you. 

On a beautiful day,

Your Dad took me to see,

All the beautiful you, growing inside of me.

As I laid down for birth,

My eyes swollen with fear,

But the Lord, stroked my brow and my purpose was clear. 

As we breathed you to life,

As our breath slowed to calm

On that beautiful day,

When you saved me from death.

What a beautiful way

To begin a new life,

To have healed all my pain. 

In your very first breath.