Respirit--inspiration to refresh your spirit and give you courage

 Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the
way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare
for a new sibling.

They found out that the new baby was going to be a girl, and day after
day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in Mommy's tummy.  He
was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met
her.

The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active member of the
Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee.  In
time, the labor pains came.

Soon it was every five minutes, every three  ...every minute.

But serious complications arose during delivery and Karen found herself
in hours of labor.

Would a C-section be required?  Finally, after a long struggle,
Michael's little sister was born.  But she was in very serious
condition.

With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant to
the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville,
Tennessee.

The days inched by.  The little girl got worse.  The pediatrician had to
tell the parents, "There is very little hope.  Be prepared for the
worst."

Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot.
They had fixed up a special room in their house for their new baby but
now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral.

Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. "I
want to sing to her," he kept saying.

Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before the
week was over.  Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but
kids are never allowed in Intensive Care.

Karen made up her mind, though. She would take Michael whether they
liked it or not!  If he didn't see his sister right then, he may never
see her alive.

She dressed him in an oversize scrub suit and marched him into ICU. He
looked like a walking laundry basket.  But the head nurse recognized him
as a child and bellowed, "Get that kid out of here now!  No children are
allowed."

The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady
glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm "He
is not leaving until he sings to his sister!"

Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside.  He gazed at the tiny
infant losing the battle to live.  After a moment, he began to sing.  In
the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang:

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are
gray ---"Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond.  The pulse rate
began to calm down and become steady.

"Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes.
"You never know, dear, how much I love you, Please don't take my
sunshine away-" As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged,
strained breathing became a smooth as a kitten's purr.

  "Keep on singing, sweetheart!!!" "The other night, dear, as I lay
sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms..."Michael's little sister
began to relax as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her.

"Keep on singing, Michael." Tears had now conquered the face of the
bossy head nurse.  Karen glowed.  "You are my sunshine, my only
Sunshine.  Please don't, take my sunshine away..."

The next, day...the very next day...the little girl was well enough to
go home!  Woman's Day Magazine called it "The Miracle of a Brother's
Song."

The medical staff just called it a miracle.  Karen called it a miracle
of God's love!

Author Unknown