The Miracle of a Brother's Love
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Like any good mother, when Karen found 
out that another baby was on the way, 
she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son,
Michael, prepare for a new sibling.
They found out that the new baby
was going to be a girl, 
and day after day, night after night,
Michael sang to his little sister
in Mommy's tummy.
He was building a bond of love
with his little sister before
he even met her.

The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen,
an active member of her church in Tennessee.

In time, the labor pains came. 
Soon it was every five minutes, 
every three, every minute.
But serious complications arose during delivery
and Karen found herself in hours of labor.
Would a C-section be required?
Finally, after a long struggle,
Michael's little sister was born.
But she was in very serious condition.
With a siren howling in the night,
the ambulance rushed the infant
to the neonatal intensive care unit at
St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee.

The days inched by.
The little girl got worse.
The pediatric specialist regretfully
had to tell the parents,
"There is very little hope.
Be prepared for the worst."
Karen and her husband contacted
a local cemetery about a burial plot.
They had fixed up a special room
 in their home for the new baby - 
but now they found themselves
having to plan for a funeral.

Michael, however, kept begging his parents
to let him see his sister.
"I want to sing to her," he kept saying.
Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral
would come before the week was over.
Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister,
but kids are never allowed in the Intensive Care Unit.

 Karen made up her mind, though.
She would take Michael
whether they liked it or not!
  If he didn't see his sister right then,
he may never see her alive.
She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit
and marched him into ICU.
He looked like a walking laundry basket,
 but the head nurse recognized him
 as a child and bellowed,
 "Get that kid out of here now! 
NO children are allowed!"

The mother rose up strong in Karen,
and the usually mild-mannered lady
glared steel-eyed right into the
head nurse's face, her lips a firm line.
"He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!"
Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside.
He gazed at the tiny infant
losing the battle to live.
After a moment, he began to sing
in the pure hearted voice of a 3-year-old.

Michael sang:
 "You are my sunshine,
 my only sunshine,
 you make me happy when skies are gray."
Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond.
Her pulse rate began to calm down
and become steady.
"Keep on singing, Michael,"
encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes.
"You never know, dear,
 how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away."

As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's
ragged, strained breathing became
as smooth as a kitten's purr.
"Keep on singing, sweetheart!!"
"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping,
I dreamed I held you in my arms. . ."
Michael's little sister began to relax
and rest,
a healing rest seemed to sweep over her.
"Keep on singing, Michael."

Tears had now conquered the face
of the bossy head nurse.

Karen glowed.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
Please don't take my sunshine away. . ."

The next day. . . the very next day. . .
the little girl was well enough to go home!

"Women's Day Magazine" called it, 
"The Miracle of a Brother's Song."

The medical staff just called it a miracle.

Karen called it a miracle of God's love!



Never give up on the people you love. 
Love is so incredibly powerful.

To the world you may be one person, 
but to one person you may be the world.

Have a blessed day!

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updated 3-20-09