Our Miracle

We put Hunter and Emma to bed and then started to get the babies and ourselves ready for bed. Hannah followed me into my bedroom and went straight to the open window. The windows in our room are big and doorlike, sitting less than a foot from the floor. That window has never been opened before and she went to check it out. Immediately, she leaned to look outside, but because the window was so low to the ground, she leaned and her upper body pulled her over. It all happened in two seconds before I could even say, “no!” I saw her feet come up and she disappeared out the window which had a 6 1/2 foot drop to concrete! I started screaming for Rob with what he says was such terror in my voice. I called for him twice and then yelled, “Hannah fell out the window!” By the time I said this, I was running to get outside to her. Rob was then running toward me and I pushed past him and ran to the back door and down the stairs to get to Hannah. I could hear Rob yelling her name with the same terror in his voice that I felt. I didn’t hear a huge screaming or crying and I couldn’t decide what that meant. What would I find when I got to her? By the time I got to the bottom of the stairs and turned, Hannah was up walking toward me and wimpering with a dazed look on her face. I scooped her up in my arms and held her tight as I cried. Rob came and clenched us both in his arms. We were all shaking. Then Rob said we needed to take her inside and check her out.

By now Hunter and Emma were out of their rooms and wondering what was going on. They ran out when they heard Mom and Dad screaming. The whole family gathered around Hannah and we looked her over. She had been wearing only a diaper and we wiped some bits of dirt and twigs from her back. There was a red patch of skin covering her lower back, but that was all we could see. We got a flashlight and checked to see that her pupils were dilating properly. They were! I then told Rob I wanted him to give her a blessing. He sat her on the couch, anointed her with consecrated oil and gave her what was the shortest, but most powerful blessing I have ever heard him give. He later told me that he felt a very strong feeling that he should bless her to have no lasting physical damage, and that this would never happen to her again. I felt an incredible wave of peace as he finished the blessing, and although I was still shaky and teary I knew she would be ok. I was so grateful to have that blessing for Hannah. We said a family prayer thanking Heavenly Father for protecting our little Hannah. We all truly believe that this was a miracle. I cannot explain how she would come out from that fall virtually unharmed except that there were angels there to cushion her fall. I did take Hannah into the doctor where she was thoroughly examined and besides about five little circular bruises where her vertebrae hit the concrete, she checked out completely normal. Amazing! Rob and I are so grateful to have her with us still and love all four of our babies so much more.

I pulled out the sofa bed and we all slept in the family room together. It was so hot and muggy that Rob and I spent most of the night wiping the kids down with wet washcloths and fanning them with children’s books. We were also upset about the events of the night, and I told Rob that the most important thing that happened that night was Hannah being saved from harm and death. The next was that he never blamed me for what happened. He never said anything even close to “how could you let this happen?” I was overwhelmed by his support of me since I was in the room and moving in what seemed like slow motion as I anticipated her fall. I will never get the image of seeing her flip out of sight and then seeing her laying flat on her back already by the time I got to the window. It was the most terrifying moment I have ever had. His saying that it wasn’t my fault was the ultimate manifestation of his love for me.

That night was the most miserable and the most glorious we have experienced. Who would have thought these two could exist together.