by A.J. Corral

Over the years I have had a lot to be thankful for: meeting my husband, receiving and celebrating my sacraments, my family, friends, and dogs, my mom being healed from cancer, working with many wonderful children, my education, my health, and my home, but here was one thing missing that I desired so dearly, and that was to have a child that I could raise to know, love and serve God.

For nine years of our marriage my husband and I hoped to be blessed with a child. There were times that it was extremely painful. When people would ask questions about why we didn’t have children or when we were going to, I would always say that God hadn’t given us with one yet and it would be in His time.  Mother’s Day would be particularly difficult for me as I would wonder if there was some reason God hadn’t found me worthy to be a mother. At other times people would urge us to take action and seek medical assistance. It was tempting, as I wondered if God was waiting for me to do something more. We did see one specialist who told us we would never have a child naturally.  I had a hard time accepting this as I knew my husband and I were healthy and that if God willed it, it would only take one tiny sperm and egg to make this miracle happen. As I continued to get older each year doubt crept in. It was in these weak times I had to lean especially hard on my faith. Because nothing is impossible for God, I knew that if He wanted us to have a child we would and I had to trust that in the end He knew what was best for us.

During these times I found comfort in the scripture stories of Leah, Rachel, and Sarah, the intercession of the Saints, and in the many, many prayers of family, friends, students and parishioners. So many acts of kindness contributed to this miracle. Friends brought me sand from Chimayo, prayer booklets from Our Lady of La Leche, traditional food & drinks from a variety of places, wrote my name on intention lists at various shrines, and brought the Infant Jesus of Prague to my home on three separate occasions.

During 2010 my husband was deployed to Iraq after just having been deployed for a year to Kosovo. I was feeling frustrated and helpless that our chances of trying for a child were fading away. I happened to sign up for Facebook at my husband’s urging so we could communicate easier and the first person to pop up was Marianne, whom I had attended graduate school with, but had not talked to in quite some time. She was my first friend and not long after contacted me about the Creighton Method. I was unsure about staring it since my husband would be away for so long, but she convinced me that we could use the time he was away to analyze my cycle and pinpoint any issues my body was experiencing. We started and my husband came home for his two week RnR based on my charting.

After nine years of longing and trying, I had finally come to a sense of peace that my life could be full working with children as a teacher and mentor. The day before he was to leave to go back to Iraq my husband and I discussed how we would make our lives full in other ways and just leave it in God’s hands if he wanted us to have a child.  The very next day after this conversation I found out I was pregnant.

Ari Joseph Corral

I had a smooth pregnancy until Ari came six weeks early. During this time God continued to guide and protect us medically and financially, and made it possible for Armando to be present for his birth. He was born 3 lbs 9 ozs.  Today he is running & climbing and almost completely caught up with his age group. The Creighton Method was the final piece of the puzzle we had been searching for and I truly believe it was instrumental in our success to finally conceive a child. I thank God for putting the people in my life who were able to help us get here. If all the difficulty and heartache that led up to this moment allows me to stand here and witness to the awesome power of God, then I feel blessed to have had this miracle worked through me.

A.J. and Ari

“Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were here an hour I would die for you. This is the miracle of Mother’s Love.” – Maureen Hawkins