I remember asking myself that question a few weeks before our IVF cycle was about to begin at St. Barnabas. Our plane would be touching down on October 11th, 2001, and the never ending cable coverage still showed the black wisp of smoke trailing down from the sky to the site of the 9/11 attack.
It seemed selfish, almost irresponsible to be thinking about trying to make baby at that time. We had no idea if those kinds of attacks were going to become commonplace. Would this become part of the American experience…trying to build a life, and hope another attack wasn’t eminent, hope the child you fought so hard to bring in this world wouldn’t be orphaned or have his or her life cut short in a blinding flash of fire?
Lisa’s desire to find her soul baby was undaunted by the world around her. I think being designed to create life gives women more perspective than men when it comes to death. While I pondered the loss of life, the memories that would never be for every person who perished, Lisa fought with all of her passion to bring new life into this world to start her memory book with her child.
That trip to New Jersey to go to that fertility clinic amid so much chaos resulted in the birth of a human being who has brought a rainbow of beauty that overshadows the darkness and sadness of the rest of the world.
Any doubt I had about bringing Elliana into such an unpredictable universe disappeared the first time I saw her comfort a shy friend who had fallen and hurt herself. 4 years old, and she was patting her and telling she would be okay.
Having a child makes the world a better place.