March 28, 2018 – This past Sunday on Liliana’s 11-month anniversary, my husband had the opportunity to give his testimony at our church and tell Liliana’s story. It was a beautiful tribute to her life and all the good that she has brought to our family.

Just like with any new baby in the first year, I like to ‘celebrate’ or mark each month’s anniversary in a special way to remember Liliana. Sometimes it’s as simple as visiting her at the special place or watching her video and looking at pictures. The twenty-fifth is a special day in our family. It’s the day my husband and I got engaged and the day we got married. And of course, it’s the day Liliana was born. Since her birth, we’ve had many special things happen on her anniversary, and this month was no exception.

This March 25, my husband shared Liliana with our church community. Many already knew her or heard of our family, but didn’t know who we were. It was so special to be able to share her with everyone there. It was the best possible way I could think of to honor her that day. And while I know our story well, it was different for me to be able to sit back and listen to my husband tell it from his perspective. I felt so proud of him and so much love for Liliana and I knew she was there with us.

He spoke of how important our faith was to us and how without it, we couldn’t have gotten through all that we did. One story in particular he shared that I don’t think I ever shared on here was about the picture of the Divine Mercy Jesus. He had ordered the picture a couple of weeks before we had our ultrasound. It arrived in the mail just the day before and we hadn’t even taken it out of the box to hang it. When I met with my parish priest for the first time later that month and shared all that had transpired, I realized as I was speaking of the timing between receiving the picture and the ultrasound diagnosis.

He was moved at this realization as well, and he said, ‘See, Jesus always arrives at the right time.’ And not just with the picture, but in my husband’s life too. He just came to faith a few years ago. We truly believe that God called him in time to prepare him to lead our family through this difficult period.

My husband also shared about how our prayers were answered. Other than a miracle, we got the three things we prayed for – to meet her, to baptize her and that she didn’t suffer. By the end of his speech, he came back to this point and said that with everything that has happened this past year, it turns out that we did get our miracle. Liliana is the miracle!

I know that may sound weird, but it’s true. And until I heard him say it, I never even realized it myself. But the way Liliana has transformed our lives and what she has done for our family is nothing short of a miracle. She inspires us in everything from how we live our lives to our vocations to how we’re raising our girls. And not only us, but I know that others are also moved by hearing about her.

At the end of his speech, my husband received a standing ovation for his witness to God’s mercy and grace. We’ve had a lot of speakers at church over the years, but I can’t think of one other instance where there was a standing ovation.  I can’t express how much joy it brings me to be able to be witnesses and share Liliana with the world. It is what I’ve always wanted – that people know her and how much she matters and how much weight her life had and still has. She is our miracle – not the one we originally prayed for, but the one that ended up answering all of our prayers.

I wish I could share the video with you of him speaking, but it far exceeds the limit size to post. Just take my word that it was awesome – all of it – my husband, his testimony, God’s grace and the tribute to Liliana. Thank you baby for loving our daughter and our Lord so much and being a witness to His glory!