Dominic Austin

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The Name Dominic means "belonging to the Lord" I didn't know how true that was when I named my son 11 years ago today. Dominic was born and I immediately knew something wasn't right, he was purple as a plum. They whisked him away to resuscitate him. I got to peer at him through the plastic walls of a bassinet before they flew him to Albuquerque, where the nearest NICU was. He was a sick little boy, sick, but strong.

Dominic had five different heart defects, including it being backwards. He was the first case the doctors had ever seen. They had plenty of babies with heart defects before, but none such as my Dominic. I remained optimistic despite the odds being stacked against him. He had only one surgery. He was going to require many more throughout his life, they told me. He was always going to be sick. But I saw past the sickness, I saw the happiness he brought with him from heaven. He was a gift from God. His mere presence made me stand back and evaluate, and appreciate my life.

Dominic passed on nineteen days after his birth. Nineteen days doesn't seem like many, but it was just enough for him. He wasn't meant for this earth. He was God's messenger. The message that he brought me I could not have gotten any other way.

So take a little time today and thank God for the lives he has entrusted us. The lives of our children.