robert miracle's blog

I'm not much of a blogger but what I have learned in my short career of being on the internet is that reading someone's blogs lets you in on who they are. Amazing love is what comes to my mind when I think of what God has blessed me with. I have had my share of close calls in my 34 years. When I was a baby but old enough to crawl around, I managed to find myself down our front steps and into the road. Luckily, the person saw me, stopped and picked me up and gave me back to my parents. At 3, I ran off with my dog. Actually, Starsky ran out of the yard and I followed him. Again, answered prayers led me back home late the following night. At 9, I was diagnosed with Cancer. Once the surgeon cut into the "tumor", all that was found was a pocket of infection. I have been in 3 car wrecks with no injuries when I was 16. At 18 I went into the U.S. Air Force. I have been to Montana where 3 of my good friends were in fatal accidents, accidents that I was supposed to have been in too if it hadn't been for "things" that had come up. I went to Dahran Saudi Arabia for 45 days and left just a few months before a large explosion took the lives of many brothers and sisters in arms were taken. An explosion that happened just "across the yard" from where we stayed. July 23, 1994 was the happiest day of my life and the biggest example of God's Amazing Love I have. I married Pamela Lankford, my best friend and lifelong companion and have been truly blessed. I was 20 and she was 18. Not long after my return from Saudi, we found out our little girl, Alexa would soon be arriving in 8 more short months. She is now 12, soon to be 13 in September and has blessed us every day. Shortly before Alexa's 2nd birthday, I got the news that I would have to go to South Korea for a year and that would have to be alone for that year. Reluctantly, I went but later was honorably discharged. I knew I couldn't function that way. My family is my life. Not long after my discharge from the air force, we got the news that Lillian would be next in line as one of our beautiful children, not knowing what was to come. October 2, 1998 we got the news that Lilly's heart was not developing normally and would need 3 open heart surgeries to correct it; otherwise, she would die. Everything we read about HYPOPLASTIC LEFT HEART SYNDROME was not good. Pam was induced and delivered her on my birthday, DECEMBER 15, 1998 and was taken for her first of 3 open hearts at 2 days old. All I can tell you is she survived but looked very scary. She had lines coming from everywhere, was on a ventilator and since they were unable to close her chest, we watched her heart beat for 3 days to wait for the swelling to go down. Jesus held that child in his hands and has ever since. To make a long story short, Lilly survived 3 of those surgeries with grace and beauty that no one could understand except for the ones that have been through it. That is amazing love. We waited a long time to gather the courage to have another child. Emily came about six years later and just recently we had Gabriel, our youngest and only boy. I find it amazing that 9 years to the day of Lilly's first open heart surgery that Gabriel was born. So, here I am today. Now a registered nurse working at an emergency room, dealing with tragedy and miracles on a regular basis. I am truly fortunate to be a part of this family that God has blessed me with.