A few days ago, I was unloading flowers from my car after Susannah’s graveside service. On my last trip to the car, I noticed a long, slender, closed lily flower had broken from the stem and was lying on the floor of my car. I picked it up, not sure what to do with it. As I looked at it, a thought crept into my mind that said, “Hmmm, a flower just like Susannah–beautiful, but will never bloom.” I know God had a purpose for Susannah Joy’s life, but little doubts can creep in sometimes. I left the flower in the yard for lack of a better idea.
Saturday, as I was walking through my yard, my gaze was caught by a fully open, beautiful and delicate, lily flower lying in the grass. It was the same one I had discarded only a day before. It had “bloomed.” It was like God showed me again that little Susannah had bloomed. She was here for the perfect amount of time for His purposes.
I wanted to share her slide-show with you. These pictures were scrolling on a screen at the funeral home after people exited the chapel. A little unconventional probably, but we wanted visitors to see her life. Joseph helped prepare it for posting to the blog. You’ll need a Shockwave plug-in to view it. (http://www.adobe.com and look for the “Get AdobeFlashPlayer” icon.)
- When you start it, you’ll see controls in the upper right that will allow you to manually advance each picture, or set it to auto-advance. The music you’re hearing is Susannah’s Lullaby written and composed for her by Joseph. It’s played and sung by a number of the Maxwells.
- In the pictures, you will see Susannah, myself and Melanie, my parents (my mom holding Susannah and my dad participating in a little prayer service), Melanie’s parents, and Susannah’s tallest uncle. In the prayer service “Elder,” a gentleman in the Maxwell’s Families for Jesus Fellowship, came to the hospital to pray for her.
- You will also notice a number of Bradford Pear tree pictures. When we left the hospital without our little Susannah, we noticed that spring had arrived and that the Bradford Pears were in bloom. The Lord provided this little blessing for us as our hearts mourned the loss of Susannah. We will never see another blooming Bradford Pear without remembering our Susannah Joy.
Susannah Joy’s Life in Pictures:
Nathan
Once there was a fine art inspector for an art museum, the most reputable in the world. He had been hired to find the finest example of pure art in the world. Of course he reviewed all the classics: Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, DaVinci, and searched all the worlds’ art treasures, even in the primative regions of the world. The mathmatics, colors, blends, textures and combinations were overwhelming. When he finally brought to the museum his designated True Masterpiece, the essence of all art, the curators were astonished! the artwork wasn’ t post-modern, or classic, but was considered by them simple and ordinary. They wanted to know how int he world he could possibly consider this the epitome of artwork for all time. The piece was too cluttered, too “busy.” too mundane. “Ah” said the inspector…”You are too blind! Can you not see all the detail?” Of course they could; that was part of thier objection. So he brought them a photo of another work. They were amazed! “This is exquite! Wonderful, marvelous! Why didn’t you bring this one?” He didn’t answer a word, but gave them another picture. This was better and more overwhelming than the first! The curators were quite put out with the inspector. “Why haven’t you acquired this one for us?” He did not answer, but produced yet another photo, and another, and another… til the curators were quite overwhelmed and speechless. Finally they begged him to divulge where these Masterpieces of Masterpieces might be found. He simply sighed and pointed to the picture he had gotten for them, and said “All of these are found within the Big Picture…that is why it is the best of all art in the world. If you keep breaking the picture down, you will find that the artist did the entire work with the end of a toothpick. Each dot, (pixel to the computer lliterate) is specially placed, specially chosen, specially created to make it’s part in the big picture. There is no insignificant pixel! Each grouping is a symphony of color & detail itself. The various sizes and groupings…bland or bright, all add thier particular note, sound, and information to the whole…indeed, the whole is NOT at all whole without each and every one of them.”
We are His workmanship, created in the Meshiach Yeshua for good works….and it would be improper and an insult to our Master to remotely think or suggest “even Susannah Joy Maxwell.”
The never-ending-story:
The Word tells us that HaShem knew us before there was time. That He ordered our days in eternity “past” before there was as yet one of them. This physical life is, as CS Lewis put it: “but the shadowlands.” It is quite improper for us to refer to people in the past tense when they have passed from shadow-life into real eternal life! It is indeed they who truly live!!! This life is like the prologue of a novel. It sets the mood, the main character and/or theme and introduces them to the reader. It is just setting the stage for the real story! I can’t wait to meet and experience with Susannah Joy the pure bliss of His fellowship. Can you?
Your little girl, Susannah Joy, is absolutely beautiful! The photographs of her are gorgeous…. a truly feminine little girl with such a delicate face and cute button nose! Susannah Joy is such a lovely name for her.
Our prayers are with you, Nathan and Melanie, as well as for your entire families during this time. Rejoice that you were able to hold your little one near, touch her fingers, feel her soft skin and silken hair, talk to her, sing to her, and that you will be with her again one day with Our Lord. Until then, be comforted to know that you have your own little angel in heaven. God bless…in Austin, TX
Your family continues to be in our prayers. We praise God that while you mourn, it is but for a season- painful though it be. You will worship our Lord in heaven one day with little Susannah! We pray that our God and loving God would comfort you. Thank you so much for sharing the video- she was a beautiful little girl.
God Bless!
Beautiful. Weeping with you all and calling on the Lord to strengthen and give you courage.
God bless!
Thank you for sharing, the slide show was so touching. The pictures with Susannah Joy are so precious. Still keeping you all in my prayers.
Thank you so much for sharing your photos with us! We enjoyed seeing your precious daughter with all of you and hearing the lovely lullaby that your brother wrote and family sang. Your family has been so creative in treasuring Susannah’s memory.
As Bradford pear trees are to you, monarch butterflies remind me of our lost treasures.
May the Lord bless you with peace and strength as you grow more in grace, wisdom and the knowledge of His Word. His promises are always true no matter what we may feel.
Remembering you in prayer,
Theresa
What a beautiful little girl=) Your family has truly been a picture of one whose hope if totally in the Lord. You have encouraged me and I want you to know that your little Susannah’s life and death has touched many peoples hearts for our Lord Jesus! May the Lord strengthen you and continue to sustain you.
Love in Christ
Christa
Dear Nathan and Melanie,
The tears are streaming down my face as I recover from the the beautiful slide show and tribute you made for Susannah. I feel your pain as we have lost two babies as well. May God richly bless you and give you strength, healing, and hope as you walk this pilgrim’s pathway- for His glory! Thank you for your testimony of God’s goodness and blessing even in such a difficult painful trial. We will be praying for you.
Love in Jesus,
Debbie
What a beautiful slide show and a beautiful baby girl! I’m so completely heart broken to hear about your loss. I just pray that the God of all peace and comfort will comfort you during this time. We are mourning with you, and we love you.
In Christ,
Kelly
Dear Nathan and Melanie,
Thank you for sharing your heart with us. I am praising God for the life of precious Susannah and the picture of her “blooming” in heaven with Jesus. Praise God for the encouragement He has given through your family.
All our love,
Mary
Please know that we will continue to pray for you all as you journey the long road ahead. But, oh how precious to have the Savior walking by your side. You are called and you love the Lord, therefore, in His time, everything will work out for good. Thank you so much for sharing your life with us….it has done much to bring me some much needed reflection. Your daughter was beautiful…such a precious gift. I pray that the comfort and strength you need will be provided to you in abundant measure. Love and Prayers to you all!
Your Susannah is so beautiful. My heart goes out to you. My husband and I have 3 children, but have had 2 miscarriages in the past nine months. (The last being only 2 months ago). I cried for you as I heard the song and saw the pictures. We know the pain. A good friend of mine and her husband have been trying to conceive for 10 years. Last November, they finally were pregnant for the first time. However, they lost their child. Her comment is strength to me. She said, “GOD IS FAITHFUL.” He is faithful and he will be to you.
Thank you for sharing your family photos with us. We are continuing to pray for you. Love in Christ
dear nathan and melody.
your precious daughter, susannah joy, is so beautiful. thank you so much for opening your lives to us, to give us a glance at what you have lost. i cannot imagine your grief, but i celebrate your love and trust in god. susannah is now in the arms of jesus, awaiting to see you again someday. what a joyous reunion that will be. you remain in my prayers.
blessings, mrs. mari
I read about your loss a few days ago from the email I received of the dad’s and mom’s corners and have been thinking and praying about you since then. I am so touched by the pictures of your beautiful Susannah. I have 4 children, but lost 2 through miscarriages before I had my 4th. My heart breaks for you, as I know the pain is even more great to lose a child you have held in your arms. My 3 oldest children saw the pictures of Susannah and have been praying for your family as well. May God give you the comfort that only He can give. He is good even in the darkness.
It was with great sadness in my heart that I read your post about this little girl that had been so specially waited on to have lived for such a short time and then return to Jesus. I wasn’t able to check my emails until today but am sending out my prayers. I had been praying all along with your family that God would bless you with a miracle and all would be well. I will never understand God’s will but know from His Word that His will is good and perfect. May God bless and comfort you during this time of loss and that you know in your hearts, because of the hope you have in Jesus Christ, that you will see your precious little sweetie again some day.
hi, we don’t know each other i only know you through this website and what a blessing it has been!
what precious memories you have of your little girl! God is so good.
what a beautiful slideshow and to be able to have something to hold on to. i cried all the way through, i grieve for you and it breaks my heart having children of my own. what a testimony you have shared of God’s great love and to show complete trust in HIm and Him alone. thank you for sharing your pain, grief and joy with us. God is good…all the time
Oh Nathan and Melanie,
I am so sorry. My heart truly hurts for your loss. Please know that our family will be lifting you up in prayer as you walk this very difficult time.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 33:18
I have been thinking of your family all day. My heart aches with yours. Even as we wonder about our new Zakariah’s abilities and challenges will be due to microcephaly, my mommy heart aches for you all. It is nothing like your loss. I long to comfort you….and I hope the little of the pain I feel on your behalf means you are feeling a little less pain and an abundance of the Father’s comfort.
Monique
Thank you so much for sharing your sweet Susannah. She is so beautiful. I am again so very sorry for your loss. I know your heart must ache so much. Continued prayers for both of you.
you have been in my thoughts and prayers constantly. what a precious gift God gave you. i know you will spend eternity holding her.
I am so sorry for your loss and I have been praying for you daily since reading your news. I have been blessed to read about Susannah Joy and to see the pictures of you all. Thank you for sharing them with all of us. Again, I am so sorry and will continue to pray for your entire family as you grieve.
Nathan and Melanie, My Silas Isaiah died, and was delivered March 12. Our God loves us, He is trustworthy, and our children are with Him. And while we cry because we cannot hold them, and take care of them, and watch them grow, we can trust in Him, and be comforted by the truth of His Word. With love and prayers.
Thank You — thank you for sharing her with us. May God’s face shine upon you today…
Jennifer
Dear Family,
I can’t tell you how my heart aches and how sorry I am for the pain you feel for losing little Susannah Joy. But what I can tell you is that through your pain, you have been an example and an encouragement to my heart. As I looked at the pictures of you smiling and happy around this precious, sick little baby with tubes running everywhere I was amazed. I was amazed that you even thought to notice the blooms on the trees and the beauty of God’s creation in such a time of despair. I wondered if I would be so strong. I knew I wouldn’t be without Him. God’s presence and work in your lives is so evident. His name is being glorified through Susannah’s life. Thank you for sharing it with us. May He bless you and continue to carry you through this time! Love, Mark, Jody and Jake
Thank you Nathan and Melanie for sharing your Susannah Joy with us and your precious testimony….choosing joy through this unbelievable trial. We will continue to pray for you and your families.
In His Love,
Mike and Julie
Dear Nathan and Melanie, I have been so touched by the story of your little girl’s life, and by the wonderful photos and personal “lovabye” (my son’s word for lullabye). I have visited your blog several times to hear the song again, and to think about and to pray for your family. The second or third time I visited the blog site, I realized that Susannah was born on the same day as our little Eric, our seventh child. The first day of spring. Because my baby shares your little Susannah’s birthday, I am sure to always remember her precious life. Your beautiful testimony of relying on God’s grace and trusting Him in the midst of your pain will surely touch many as it has me. God bless you.
Nathan and Melanie,
I continue to pray for you. I also wanted to thank you for the way you and your daughter have touched the life of my husband and me. Last week we lost our baby after about 5 weeks of life in the womb. Seeing your trust in the Lord and hearing how He carried you through has helped us so much. We pray that we can reflect God’s goodness and love as you have through the loss of our baby. Also, seeing your little Susannah’s pictures reminds me that our baby was created beautifully, and the Lord created our baby for a special purpose too. Thank you so much and you will continue to be in my prayers.
RebeccaB
Just wanted to let you know that you’re continuing to be prayed for!
Lamentations 3:21-23, “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Praying that you will be so aware of the Lord’s love and faithfulness each day and that as you awake His mercies will truly be new, fresh, and so very real to you each morning!
With Christ’s love,
Debi & Steve
Dear Nathan & Melanie,
It is with tears streaming down my cheeks that I write this to you. I have never lost a child, but as a labor and delivery nurse I have been through so much loss with my patients. My heart breaks for you and your families. I am so incredibly sorry.
As a parent I KNOW that the last thing we want is to live longer than our children…. Jesus doesn’t want that either, He created us to live forever with Him and death is such a poinient reminder that we need to go home! “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through. If Heaven’s not my home, then Lord what will I do? The angels becken me from Heaven’s open door and I can’t feel at home in this world any more. Oh Lord, you know I have no friend like You….”
Your strength and dependence upon our Creator is such a testamony and blessing to those you share your lives with. Thank you. Thank you for your faith and for holding on tight to our Jesus. Thank you for believing even when it is so tempting not to. Thank you for sharing these very difficult days and months with us so that we can be strengthened by your strength and be blessed by your faith. Thank you for letting us lift you up in prayer. And lastly, thank you for sharing pictures of Susannah Joy with us – her face was so beautiful: precious and dainty. It has been an honor to know her through your words and pictures.
Love in Him,
Terri
As I check the blog each day, I am reminded of how much you all need prayer and just wanted to let you know we are still holding you ALL up in prayer. The days following the loss seem to grow harder sometimes, as life gets back to “normal” but never feels normal to you again. The cards may subside, but there are still all of us out there still thinking about and praying for you! And when the tough times come, our heavenly father still remembers with us and is there to renew our strength minute by minute. His strength is made perfect in weakness. We pray for encouragement for each one of your sweet families.May He help you to keep going on, that He could continue to be glorified through this valley.
In Christ’s love,
Katie, Rob and five arrows
Dearest Nathan and Melanie,
I was awakened tonight with a very strong realization that our Father accepts that which is perfect… the offerings of the Old Testament had to be of the best of the flock… or of what man could offer. It came strongly to me that Susannah Joy was the best of everything to you both… and to your family in many respects… She is a sacrifice well pleasing in His sight. Our hearts are awed at how God has used her short life so powerfully. Your sweet spirits and receptivity of His will with ‘acceptance of joy’ is an evidence of His abundant grace in the most trying hours. You are continually on our hearts and in our prayers…
Love,
Martha B. for the whole family….
Saddened by your loss, encouraged by your faith.
Because of Jesus, Bobbie
I am so sorry for your lose. How very sad. Thank you for that beautiful slide show and for sharing her life. Your faith is amazing. The song the uncles performed was lovely.
What a lovely girl. And the lily you found blooming, what a sweet gift from the Father. You know, Susannah means “lily” in Hebrew. May she know unending joy as she spends her days in the courts of our Lord. Peace be with your whole family, you have been in our prayers often.
Remembering Susannah & you all especially this weekend & just wanted to send Melanie a {{{{{{{hug}}}}}}}
I just came across your blog and your story of your precious baby girl. I am so very sorry. The loss of a child is one of the greatest heartaches in this life. I also had to say goodbye to my daughter after just two days of life. Her twin brother survived two more days before joining his sister in Heaven. That was in 2003 and while God has done an amazing work in my heart to bring about a lot of healing, I still miss my babies so very much.
Much love,
Michele
This summer our daughter, Faith Petra Joy, would have been 9 years old. I too was grateful that she didn’t have to suffer here on earth. What a blessing for her to be in the Father’s presence immediately. I still shed tears for the time I didn’t get to have with her and I consider those evidence of my deep love for her and a reminder of the precious footprints she left on my heart. Faith’s life continues to be used by God for His glory. The three children that I do get to raise know that they have a sister waiting for them in heaven.
A year after we had Faith we found out we were having a boy. We chose the name Josiah. After months of praying for healing for Faith, we found out two years later that Josiah means “God supports” or “God has healed.” I’ve told my son that God’s plan was for him to be the oldest child in the family.
God bless you as you approach Susannah’s birthday and the anniversary of her death. May you remember her in your own special way.
My heart brakes for you in your great loss. I have never lost a child to Heaven, however, I have given 3 lovely boys up for adoption. The pain is not the same and I do not claim to know how you feel, but I know that I cherish the moments I had with each one of them at the hospital and time leading up to surrendering my rights as a mother of each one of them. Now I have been granted the gift of an 8 mo beautiful little girl, and I am pregnant with another boy. God bless you as your hearts heal from the pain even years later. I am sure you will always remember that beautiful flower and girl both bloomed as they entered Heaven. I will pray for your family in my prayers every night for my desire is that your hearts and souls are healed of the great pain that must lay deep within them. God bless you and keep you.