Madison Lindsey Marzol

My great niece was born on April 28, 2008. Her short life on earth made such an impact on my family. I would like to be known as someone who made the kind of impact that this newborn baby made on me. There are unanswered questions about Madi's life and why she was taken from a loving, caring Mother, Father, brother, and 2 sisters. We hear how we are not to question, but humans do question. It is not for us to continue to question, but to accept. We know that this baby was placed on earth for 19 days for a reason.
Her Mother's letter has helped me understand as I have re-read it many times. I was the privelged one who read this at her funeral.

Mommy’s message to Madi
by Kristin Meares Marzol

Nobody seems to know what to say or how to feel about your short earthly life. We have to thank God that He allowed us to spend the weeks with you that we did. You were sent here for a purpose, and you have touched more lives in your two weeks than I have touched in 29 years. You have mended a family that has needed to and never could, you have brought friends back together with what true friendships are; coworkers have mended ties; marriages have become stronger, and best of all, you have made people question,”how does a family make it through something like this?” There is one simple answer: Faith in our God. God knows all: He knows what we can handle.

Madi, you had so many people praying for you and for us. Prayer to make a miracle, prayer for comfort, and prayer for healing. I thank God everyday for the life that he has blessed me with, my family with, and the children I have been blessed with. Nothing we do in life is guaranteed, not tomorrow, not an hour from now, not even our next breath. I’m not supposed to be doing this, standing here talking about how great it was to get to know you, my baby girl, Madi. But this is how God had things intended for your life to be, short lived here on earth.

I praise God for blessing me with such a beautiful little girl. Your beautiful dark hair, your dark blue eyes, cute round lips, and the smooth skin that I loved to rub and kiss as you were nuzzled against my chest. I always giggled at how you found comfort in any woman’s bosoms. I think you did this to hear my heart beat as I could still feel your heart beat as if it were your body still in mine. There were many nights that you slept on Mommy’s chest, and would awaken quickly if moved from that comfort spot. I remember all the times you sent Daddy and me to the hospital anticipating your arrival, but you just weren’t sure if you were ready. But on April 28th, you were in a hurry to come and meet us, as we were in just as big of a hurry to meet and love you.

There is a poem that reads,” to have a child is to accept that your heart will always walk outside your body.” You are a piece of my heart that will never stop beating. I will lay you down now, so that you can rest your weary body. You can fall asleep now, and awake soon, for Mommy and Daddy to carry you into the gates of heaven. Zachary, Bailey, and Ashleigh send their love with kisses and want you to know how much they will miss you, but want you to also know that they will meet us at the gate on our special day. Please know that I will always love you and carry such precious memories of our bond that started months ago as you started to grow inside of me, and would move throughout the day, and sometimes keep me up at night. I will always remember the day you were born, with your eyes wide open looking up at all of us with such wonder and amazement. And most of all, as any new Mother, the intimate moments that you were nuzzled at my breast falling into the deepest of sleeps. Mommy loves you very much; much more that there is an understanding of.

There is a song that I have picked out that speaks to my heart that says, “though my heart is torn, God is always there; I will always praise God for helping me through this storm.” Life is full of storms, some bigger than others. God is there to see us through this storm, and we have to remember to praise Him for all things He has blessed us with. This is God’s will. Madi brought us ALL more love than we needed in our lives. How could we dare question such a purpose as that?

Our precious Madi, full of innocence, with such a powerful purpose. We will all miss getting to know her in our time, but will be reunited with her in HIS time.

One Day at A Time

Ever heard this? Yes, it is from AA and so many of us live like this. Today was a good one when I visited my brother. He is 5 years older than me, and he is an alcoholic. He has numerous health problems, and recently lost his job. He is struggling financially and emotionally, but last week, I saw a difference in him. We attended Faith Community Church together and prayed together in public for the first time in many years. I hate to admit that I have avoided him in recent times because of my mistrust. I had pretty much given up on him feeling that he would get or do no better. God had been telling me differently, but I didn't want to listen. Last Sunday, however made a huge impact on me, as I realized that with God all things are possible. I knew this in my heart, but my head kept saying different things. It was a joy to take him to the grocery store and see him purchase cookies instead of alcohol! It has been 10 days since he has had any alcohol. To God be the glory!