Peace in the Storm

My name is Ashley Galvan. My husband, Steven, and I, got married in August of 2013. After being married for a little over a year we decided to start trying for our first baby. We got pregnant right away and had our perfect son, Oliver, nine months later.

At the beginning of 2018 we decided to start trying for our second baby and got pregnant after a couple months of trying. Every doctors appointment showed my baby and I to be perfectly healthy. We found out it was a boy, had a gender reveal party, and began discussing names. We went out of town for Thanksgiving to be with my husband’s family. With all of the excitement and busyness of the holiday and being with family, it wasn’t until late Thanksgiving night that I realized I couldn’t remember feeling my son move that day. In fact, the last time I could remember feeling him move was the day before, earlier in the day.

Early the next morning I went to the ER. After what seemed like forever of 3 different nurses/doctors looking for movement or a heartbeat, the doctor told me that our son was gone. I was almost 32 weeks pregnant so I had to be induced to go into labor and deliver my son, Elijah Blake. He was beautiful and fully formed. We spent over 5 hours holding him and memorizing him before a man from the local funeral home came to take him. A couple days later after I was released from the hospital and back in our hometown we had a small graveside service for him.

Those were by far the hardest days of my life, but it was in those days and the ones that followed that I realized how thankful I was for a strong foundation in Christ. I always knew it was important, but never realized how much so until I lost Elijah. Through my grief and those terrible days, the Holy Spirit was with me, comforting me, giving me peace. I don’t know how I would have gone on without the Holy Spirit and my faith in Jesus.

Several months after we lost Elijah I became pregnant again and had a healthy pregnancy and a healthy, beautiful daughter, Raeley. She is such a joy and a blessing. I still miss Elijah every day, I still long to hold him, and still have bad days, but God is still and always will be good. He has blessed us immensely, and it is only because of Him and His sacrifice and love for us that my baby boy is so much happier than he could have ever been here on this earth. No matter what I face, I’m so thankful for a Father that loves me and cares for me through it all. The One that gives me peace in the storm, the One who never leaves me nor forsakes me.

Ashley Galvan

Odessa, TX