Dear Editor:

The birth of a newborn baby is often seen as a miracle, whether you read about it in the Bible or see a birth announcement in the newspaper. The newborn arrives crying, showing how well their lungs work in our air. A powerful first cry is considered a good sign of strength to move on in life.

In our home I was considered the first born, then my brother Jan and sister Judy were second and third. We all grew up together not knowing that Mom had suffered great difficulty and had lost a pair of twin boys before I was born. I learned this information in my teens and frequently wondered how different my life might have been if I had two older brothers protecting me.

Mom was too young to know enough to avoid different pregnancy issues.

When we are joyful with newborn expectations, we assume it will be easy and full of smiling faces. Like every design of creatures, no two situations are alike. All of us are as unique as each falling snowflake. Finding twin snowflakes is very unlikely. Scientists estimate the chances of two snowflakes being exactly alike are about 1 in 1 million-trillion.

The loss of these two boys made Mom sad and she waited five years before she and Dad tried again and I was born. We were both smiling at birth and my birth gave her courage to try a second time in three years only to face similar physical difficulties that started early in her pregnancy.

Pregnancy with my brother had similar warning signs of the lost twin boys. Mom called her sister Marianne and laid flat on her back for four months, resulting in a safe and successful birth. My sister’s birth ended in smiles seven years later.

Every year we celebrate the human birth of God’s son that stirs up a pot of joy and laughter. Grab your baby pictures and find your smile. You might even surprise yourself with laughter and a warm feeling of love.

When a new baby is born the future of life greets us all.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb