I was 44 years old, and already the mother of 5 children (some in their teenage years and some were young adults) when I realized that I had become pregnant, again. It was a complete shock to me! Parenting older children is so very much different than raising babies or toddlers. My husband and I were already in that “older children” mode. Our children were more or less independent, and we could start to invest time in some things we had put “on hold” until they were grown. But, all of a sudden this was all taken away from us! I started to grieve the loss of my independence. I had arrived at the stage where I could come and go without worrying about the children. I could run loads of errands, and even engage in some of my hobbies.

The months of the pregnancy were hard. Being pregnant at an older age isn’t easy. Dealing with teenage problems became more difficult. Lots of people thought, “It’s a mistake” to have a child at my age, and they didn’t spare me their comments! All the way up until the end of the pregnancy, I didn’t feel joy. There were days that, instead of joy, I felt heaviness in my heart. I was worried and uneasy. A week before I was to give birth, I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a sweet voice in my ears saying, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you.”* I understood, then, that I needed to rejoice. That
Still, the thought of abortion had never crossed my mind, nor it is a decision, not a feeling. I also understood that my husband’s. Life is precious! A few months before I found out I was pregnant, I found myself watching our family in an objective fashion. I realized we were a big family of 7, who had fallen into life on “automatic”. There was no laughter or joy at our home. Being someone who believes in God, I prayed. Specifically, I prayed for God to restore the joy in our family. God honored my prayer and surprise, surprise, gave us a baby! As soon as I found out about the pregnancy I knew that this was actually God’s provision, and His answer to my prayer. What could be cuter, funnier, bring more love, and bind us more closely together as a family, than a new baby?

I needed to trust God to do the rest. I was deeply touched by His loving Presence. He had chosen me to receive this gift from Him, so who am I to reject it? A month before I turned 45, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy. We named him Or-Ad, which in Hebrew means “everlasting light”. Orad has, indeed, brought light to our home. He has also brought laughter and joy to our family. He reawakened love, and I thank God for him!