Since birth I have known the truth of miracles. Even when my parents were first married in 1990 they knew they wanted a child. Doctors told them that they were too old to have kids and that the biological clock had stopped ticking. With less advanced technology, they were left with few options Defying all odds, and numerous medical professionals, my mother became pregnant in the summer of 1994. On Tax Day of 1995 I was ironically born to the 49 year old ex-IRS agent and his 41 year old wife, known to me as Mom and Dad. Doctors and nurses even called me the “Miracle Baby”. When I was old enough to understand all of this I knew that it was truly nothing short of miraculous.

In 2003 my family suffered its worst blow to date. Dad's liver failed on account of Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease with few treatments and no cures. He was hospitalized for nearly a month, doctors and specialists alike were exhausting all possible ideas.While he was in the hospital his credit card number was stolen in some sort of online scam and sent to Spain. At the innocent age of 8 I was terrified that everything would be taken from Mom and me. Every day of that horrid time was filled with wet eyes and crushed spirits. I had seen stark white lab coats and tired hospital walls more than I had seen welcoming classmates and smiling friends. News from the credit card company was cursory and grim. Towards the end of that month something in Dad started to change. He began eating better and regaining color. Within a few days he could stand for longer periods of time and even interact with us. The doctors could not completely explain it or believe it, but Dad was better. I had my dad back and Mom had her husband back. With his authoritative nature he returned home, finished recovering from the liver failure, and stabilized our finances. It was as if none of those terrible things had ever happened to my family. It was yet another miracle.

Those big examples are not the only ways miracles have touched my life. Every day there is the opportunity to encounter a miracle. Whether it is an A on a chemistry test I was terrified of taking or the bus coming on time on a rainy day. Miracles crossover into all parts of life and they do exist. This I will always believe.