This page is dedicated to two little angels in heaven, Steven and David.
They came into our lives on June 19th, 1973. This is their story.

Dennis and I had been married for a year and a half when we
learned that I was going to have a baby. What a blessing that was!
We both love children and wanted a family. The pregnancy started off as
most do, me being sick every morning and at first, most of the day too.
Dennis was in the army at the time so I was going to the post hospital for
my check-ups and as any military family knows, you see a different
  doctor usually on each visit, whoever happens to be on duty that particular day
that you go in. You rarely ever saw the same one twice in a row.

As the weeks went by, my size began increasing at a rapid rate.
When I was 4 months along, I looked like I was near my due date.
The doctors would listen for the heartbeat and tell me
I was probably due sooner than first expected. I would gain up
to 10 lbs a month and I had been careful with my diet. I did have one
doctor to ask if there were any cases of twins in our families and
neither of us knew of any at the time, so they just dismissed that idea.

When I was about 6 1/2 months along, my family came out for a visit.
They stayed for several days then headed up to California on vacation.
We were in Texas. The day after they left, my water started leaking, a
little a time. Dennis took me to the hospital and seeing my girth and
how far along I was, they immediately took me to x-ray.
There they were, like Pisces the fish symbol. One with his head up
and the other was turned upside down. There was no going back now.
   They had to try to keep me from going into labor. We knew if they were born
    then, they wouldn't have much of a chance. Every time the labor pains started,
they gave me medications that would stop it. In the meanwhile, I stayed
in the hospital, with all the student nurses coming around to listen.
It was a learning experience for them. Guess they didn't get to
experience studying multiple births too often there.

Finally on the 5th day of the roller coaster, the contractions wouldn't
stop so the doctor was called in for the delivery. On June 19th, 1973
David and Steven were born. They weighed only 2 lbs each, identical
twin boys. I was having a lot of complications from the delivery and
was unable to get out of bed until the day after birth. Because of their
extreme critical condition, they were not able to bring the babies to me.
The next day I managed to go down to the nursery to see our sons. There
in the two incubators were the most beautiful children God ever made.
Perfect little beings, sleeping so quietly. Each had pale blonde hair
and light complexion. My heart ached to hold them, but I couldn't.

That afternoon, the doctor came in and said David had developed a hole
in his lung. A specialist was flown in for the delicate surgery. My
arms ached to hold my two beautiful children but again my condition
forced me to bed all that day. That evening the doctor came into the
room. When I saw the expression on his face, I knew something had
happened. David had died suddenly. The lungs just wouldn't work. He
said that Steven was still holding on, but just barely.

I didn't sleep all night for thinking of them. The next day I was
due to go home. When Dennis and his mother came to the room, I
thought it was to get me but he said the hospital had called him
to come up there. He left me in the room with his mother and we
waited for what seemed like an eternity. When he came back, I knew
what they had called him there for. He came over to me and just held me
tight without saying a word. My whole world fell apart and I knew
I would not be bringing Steven or David home.

They were buried 2 days later in a section of the cemetery called
"Baby Land", an area dedicated to infants of the military. For
many years I blamed myself, the army and then God for the loss
of Steven and David. I know now that it was all part of God's plan
for us and from that experience I have learned much. I gave birth
just a year later to David, our oldest living son. If the twins had
survived, the kids I have now probably wouldn't have been born, and I
wouldn't have the beautiful grandchildren I have now. I have learned
everything happens for a reason. In this mosaic of life, each event is
just a small piece of the overall masterpiece that only God can see from
His point of view. Every masterpiece has dark and shadowy areas, for
without them, the more colorful and brighter spots aren't as beautiful
as they could be. You have to have the dark to appreciate the light.

The time will come someday when I will get to finally hold my sons
for the first time, but until then, I will do everything I can on
this earth to make them proud of their mom.

Little Angels

When God calls little children
to dwell with Him above,
We mortals sometime question
the wisdom of His love.
For no heartache compares with
the death of one small child
Who does so much to make our world,
seem wonderful and mild
Perhaps God tires of calling
the aged to his fold,
So He picks a rosebud,
before it can grow old.

God knows how much we need them,
and so He takes but few
To make the land of Heaven more
beautiful to view.
Believing this is difficult still
somehow we must try,
The saddest word mankind knows
will always be "Goodbye."
So when a little child departs,
we who are left behind
Must realize God loves children,
Angels are hard to find.

Author Unknown

Thank you Floria for this beautiful gift for my angels!