DWITS #5 – Chapter 2, In the Twinkling of an Eye

Posted September 18, 2020

The last photo taken of my baby Abby Joanne McMinn, Christmas Day 1995

I hate Christmas! Truthfully, I love it, but my silent reflections each year on the pain of Christmas 1995 seem to engulf everything good. With heart-aching sadness I gaze at the sparkling tree, beautifully wrapped gifts, delectable food, laughter of my children, and smiles of my family members gathered around the feast table. It is hard to see beyond my tears to focus on the eternal message of hope brought by the birth of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago in the lowly manger.

My cherubic 10-month-old baby daughter, Abby, was teething. It is normal for a baby to be cranky and have sniffles when cutting their first set of teeth as she was. She was a healthy, happy baby and always had been. We loaded our then family of eight into our van and headed to my parents’ mountain home to celebrate Christmas with extended family.

Early morning Christmas Day, her sniffles became chest congestion. Following the great present unwrapping, and we had all enjoyed a festive brunch, she vomited several times. Since we were a three-hour drive away from our trusted pediatricians who were no-doubt celebrating Christmas with their families, we decided to call my sister’s local pediatrician instead. He assessed Abby’s declining health over the phone then prescribed two antibiotics. We went to town, purchased them, and administered both to her by mid-afternoon.

By evening we were headed to the emergency room because she was not “markedly better” as the pediatrician had wisely cautioned us to watch for. Since she was fussy, I did not buckle Abby in her car seat but protectively cradled her in my arms. Suddenly, I felt her stop breathing just a few minutes into the ride. I panicked! Then quickly began praying. My husband, Cary, began to administer CPR immediately while my Dad kept driving us through his tears. We stopped at a fire station along the way for help. During the next two hours, emergency response and hospital staff were unable to resuscitate her. Our precious baby, Abby Joanne, went to be with Jesus on His own birthday, Christmas 1995.

sharimcminn

Shari Howard McMinn is an author, editor, farmer, writer, and most importantly Mom to 11 children. Widowed very unexpectedly on June 2, 2013, Shari continued the direction of her life built with her late husband, Cary, and launched her public speaking and writing business which he had often encouraged her to do. Drawing from her 'over the top' life, she writes non-fiction and presents PowerPoint talks on issues related to family life, including adoption, childhood nutrition, family economics, homeschooling, and proactive parenting. She is available for broadcast interviews and presentations in Colorado and surrounding states, as well as Florida and Georgia. A dynamic speaker, Shari engages the audience with her true-life storytelling and practical advice based on experience and biblical wisdom.