Everything Happens for a Reason by Chalyse Aileen Roberts (daughter of Valerie and Granddaughter of Cline and Rena Mills)

 

I look forward to sharing a family story with you each week. 

So week one, I called the book, the Ruben Horsley Mills Book of Remembrance and then when I asked my hubby about writing a story, he responded, "I'm not related to Ruben Mills so I don't need to.  Uggh!  (He has since written a beautiful story of how he ended up in Utah from Oklahoma and all his growth during those years.)

So the next week, I called it the Mills Family book of Faith.  I had included some ideas for topics, but they were not meant to be all inclusive.

At present, the book is 144 pages long and over 31,000 words.  The stories have been anywhere from a paragraph long to several pages long.  Some have submitted one story and others several shorter ones.    Some are about serving others, some about being served, some about answers to prayers, memories about growing up or about loved ones who have passed away that touched them. The stories have all been uplifting and exactly what I was hoping for.

Sherilyn and I did get some valued feedback this week from someone feeling that the stories were meant to be "faith promoting" and that for those who weren't religious, they had nothing to share. 

I'm sorry if I gave that impression to anyone.  Maybe I think of faith differently in that I don't think of it as only linked to religion.  I have faith that when I flip a particular switch on my wall, a light will come on.  99% of the time, that works and when it doesn't, I know it is time to change the light bulb.  I have faith that the sun will come  up in the east and set in the west.  I have faith that everything happens for a reason and that we are put together on this earth in families to learn from each other  and grow. 

We knew the cameraman for the show Story Trek.  He was not a church going man when I knew him by the way.  But we loved watching it and seeing Darren from time to time as the team traveled the country randomly selecting people to share their stories.  The stories were always uplifting and inspiring regardless of whether the people were religious or not but they all had things they believed and experiences that helped them grow. 

Here are a few more questions that I hope help everyone in the family think of a story that would be worth sharing:

• If your great-great niece, nephew or grandchild comes across this book in 30 years, and they look for your story, what would you want them to know about you?
• How has a particular trial made you stronger?  They say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?
• What do you hope or dream for in this life?
• Why did you choose to live where you do?  Is it where you hope to remain?
  
• What is something that happened in your childhood that made you the person you are today?
• Who is your hero?  Is there someone in our family that you look up to or set a good example for you?
• What kind of an example do you want to be for your children/grandchildren/nieces/nephews/siblings?
• What are you most passionate about?

And now to this week's story.  We are back to the Cline Mills branch of the tree.  I have many stories to choose from, but this week, I have asked Chalyse if she was okay with me sharing hers.:

Everything Happens for a Reason

 

By Chalyse Daugherty

 

I don’t consider myself a very spiritual or religious person. I don’t necessarily attribute many things to a higher power, more just a “everything happens for a reason”.

One thing that comes to mind -

Two years ago today, Valentine’s Day 2019, I found out I was pregnant. It was a shock to myself and Ethan, as we both knew we wanted to wait a couple of years before starting our family. We had just gotten married a few months prior, so to say we didn’t feel prepared or ready was an understatement. Once the initial shock wore off, we welcomed the idea and starting envisioning life with this little life growing inside me.

Fast forward a couple weeks, we were going to the gym as we usually did. A Monday evening. I remember every detail: where I was, what song I was listening to, even down to the time. I went to the bathroom only to see blood. I knew something was wrong and I instantly burst into tears. Ethan and I headed straight to the emergency room in silence. Several hours later, our little “blueberry babe” didn’t have a heartbeat and I just kept bleeding. I’ve never seen Ethan fall to the floor and cry as hard as he did that night. We knew we were miscarrying. Gut wrenching.

That same week was my birthday. We took a trip to Oregon - it was the perfect getaway from such a painful event. We spent time with friends, family and celebrated my birthday with our loved ones. We came back feeling more refreshed, still heartbroken, but better. We attributed this all to “everything happens for a reason”, and maybe we just weren’t ready to be parents. Despite having already pictured who our little one would have grown to be, we tried to see the bright side.

About a month later I happened to feel similar symptoms from back in February and I decided to take another pregnancy test on April 1. Unintentionally April Fool’s Day, a day not for jokes here. Sure enough, Pregnant. I took 5 more tests over the next few days to be sure. I somehow was stunned with every “Pregnant” test reading. Happy, scared, nervous, excited, anxious - a whole mix of emotions! Let me tell you, the day I met our little Leo Joseph was the happiest day of my life. November 30, 2019 at 5:38 AM time stood still. He is the most angelic little boy. He is pure sunshine, a true mama’s boy, just everything I’ve ever wanted and needed. He is an absolute blessing and we are head over heels for him. He makes my world go ‘round, and I plan to just remind him forever how indescribably loved and needed he is in this world.

Leo Joseph, you are our rainbow baby. You came at the most perfect time in the most perfect way. We wouldn’t change a thing for even a second, because I couldn’t fathom the thought of not being your mom. You are everything.