Sufficient Grace

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. – Psalm 126: 2-5

How does one cope with the loss of not one child, but THREE?...Sufficient Grace

How does one wait and prepare for identical twin girls, only to have to say goodbye before she properly said hello?...Sufficient Grace

How does one prepare for a son, deemed "incompatable with life", carry him for the next four months, praying fervently for a miracle, to be able to spend only 6 hours with him? God did not work the kind of miracle that she had asked for, but she was able to see other miracles in that day. He was born. He was beautiful. He was perfect, and then Kelly, with her sufficient grace, was able to praise God for their time together and she called herself "blessed among women that day, blessed among Mothers" as she was chosen to sing to this beautiful baby as he left her arms and went into the arms of Jesus. That.....is Sufficient Grace. Amazing!!!

My friend Kelly, she has "Sufficient Grace". The following exerpt is taken from HER blog at http://sufficientgraceministries.org/ .

"In the autumn the leaves change colors. Often though it is so gradual, so subtle that we don’t realize it fully until one day the trees are orange, yellow, red and brown instead of green. In the same way as winter approaches, the leaves fall from the trees. One day, we notice that the leaves are gone. We know they must have been falling for some time, but it was so subtle and gradual that we hardly noticed until one day when they were all gone and the land was stark and bare. When spring comes, everything brings forth new life. What once was dead is alive again. And one day it happens. You wake up and the leaves have returned once more- green and shiny and new. You can’t point to a time when they began to bloom, exactly. You may have seen a bud or two. But it seems that it is sudden. Suddenly, the leaves have returned.

In reality it was happening all the time, subtle, gradual, unseen, changing and restoring life. That is the best illustration I have heard of the way the Holy Spirit works in us to heal and restore. How subtly God works in us to change and heal us until one day what once was, is no more. One day, we were no longer struggling. We have overcome what once held us captive, be it bitterness, pain, grief, or sin. God had been healing us all along, working while we struggled.

Where once there was sin, now there is forgiveness.

Where sorrow once lived, now joy dwells.

Where once there was death, now there is life.

Once the trees were barren. Now they spring forth green leaves and beautiful, life-giving fruit.

I don’t know exactly when or how He took the tattered ashes of our broken hearts and made them into something beautiful, but one day the pain was gone. (We still have tender moments when our memories take us back, and we may shed some tears. We will never forget!) In reality, though, it wasn’t one day. It had been happening all along. God had been using every tear, every moment of brokenness to make beauty from ashes, to turn our shame into a crown of glory, to heal our pain and restore us- turning even our deepest sorrow into our most exuberant joy.

We share our story with you because of the scripture in 2 Corinthians 1: 3 & 4 – Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received.

We feel blessed that we have been comforted through our loss by a loving God, and we would like to offer that same comfort to you. That is how our ministry began. My friend,Tracy lost her baby, Kelly on March 12, 2003. While searching for a memory book for her, I discovered that there were no memory books that allowed the mom to adequately honor the life of a precious baby…something lasting and beautiful that said a loved and wanted child was here. That’s how the Dreams of You Memory Book was born. Parts of the above story are written in the Dreams of You Book as well as places for grieving parents to journal there own journey of loss, hope and healing, record the dreams they had for baby, footprints, handprints, other memories and details of babies life, write letters to baby…in addition, the book is filled with inspirational poems and scripture reminding us of the hope of heaven.

We began Sufficient Grace Ministries – the legacy of Faith, Grace, Thomas and Tracy’s little Kelly – in 2004. Today, hundreds of lives have been touched because of the brief little lives of our little ones. They were here…they mattered…and God used them to fulfill a beautiful purpose…to offer comfort and hope to those whose hearts are broken."

For all the precious children whose footprints are forever ingrained in our hearts – We still dream our dreams of you… until we meet again.

My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in your weakness. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Kelly's mom, Kathy Rutter began making these "comfort bears" in 2005 to provide something to hold to ease the ache of empty arms. My mama sewed too, you know. She created each one by hand with a "grandmother's love and prayers"..... I am a grandma too, you know.

Kelly's mom went home in heaven in October 2006 after a valiant battle with cancer. My mama went home to heaven after a valiant battle with cancer too, you know.

I fell in love with this beautiful bow and the heart on his chest that says "Comfort Bear" and bears the Sufficient Grace logo of one tiny footprint.

I wrote to Kelly. I told her about Cassie and about Tryston John. Cassie had to say goodbye to her son before she could properly say hello. A large box arrived at my home recently....I opened it and there......inside......was a Comfort Bear, a "Dreams of You" journal, a book, "I'll Hold You in Heaven". I gasped, I cried, I laughed, I celebrated! Kelly and her Sufficient Grace is REAL! She is not some strange blogster from Ohio who only talks a good talk, she Walks the Walk!!! She cares about a little mama in Rock Valley, Ia, and she cares about me!

Cassie can read, remember, journal, share, cry, and hold her Comfort Bear until the ache becomes a bit less. Tryston WAS, and he MATTERED. Sufficient Grace Ministries – the legacy of Faith, Grace, Thomas and little Kelly ...."They were here…they mattered…and God used them to fulfill a beautiful purpose…to offer comfort and hope to those whose hearts are broken."

I love you Kelly. I love what you do and for all the mamas out there that you help. You are leaving such a legacy of love and strength and support. Thanking God for his "sufficient grace"!