Saturday, June 25, 2011

The Other Half...

Hey, this Hampton (not the better half). I am Nicole's husband, and have shared first-hand in the experiences that have led to the creation of this blog. Although I have been here every step of the way, I have my own story to tell. My thoughts have been less "cyber" to this juncture, but I will be contributing here and there. It has been 8 months since we lost the girls, and though the pain has been mostly private in the past, many of my friends know that I am in no way afraid to talk candidly about this struggle. I have strongly encouraged this venture from the outset, and I believe my next step in doing so is to start adding my thoughts to the mix to complete the story.

A little about me. I met Nicole in college as a freshman. In many ways back then we were on the same trajectory, we just didn't know it yet. We were both in the Honors Program at the University of South Alabama, and we both independently (well, of each other at least) became heavily involved in Baptist Campus Ministries, a student outreach group. We became friends, eventually started dating, and we were married going on 4 years ago. In that process, we grew together, both towards God and towards each other, and we truly became one. It could have in no way occurred any better for each of us if we had planned it ourselves. As a natural outpouring of who we both were, we wanted children, and still do. More on this later.


Some things about me have to be said outright if I am to be completely understood. I am defined by few things, but first and foremost, I am a Christian, a disciple of Jesus Christ, saved by His grace from my state of sin, and crucified with Him to abundant new life. I have been a believer nearly my entire life, and any meaning to my existence starts and stops there.

I am also a physician, currently about to start my fourth year of residency in General Surgery. This has been a long pursuit for me, and will be a pursuit for the rest of my life, I am slowly beginning to realize. This is by no means separate from my faith-- it is how I believe God has called me to live out my faith and to show the fruits of His salvation in my life. It also profoundly shaped my experience with our girls. 

A word of warning: I am a doctor, and I can't really separate myself from that, so some of the things I contribute to this blog may be unsavory for dinner-table conversation. I am also brutally honest and frank at times, but at those times I believe I am telling the truth. Remember: he who is easily offended is often uneducated. I try to state things outright to avoid confusion (of which Satan is the author).

I love my wife, and she has asked me to do this, so this is a labor of love. I will not be able to post things nearly as much as Nicole or as much as I want to, given my work schedule. But I think it is important for the readers here (both ladies and gentlemen) to hear my thoughts to hear the male perspective, as this experience is indelibly shared between Nicole and I.

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