Nori Piper Worsham

July 22, 2014 Nori Piper Worsham was born.

July 30, 2014 Nori Piper Worsham passed away.

She had many nicknames during our eight days with her. They included Babygirl, Pretty Lady, Beautiful, and Our Little Miracle.

Nori had been in the womb for 23 weeks when we had an emergency C Section. That would make her a very premature baby. The doctors told us she had about a 10% chance of making it.

Yeah.

That sucked.

This is the part where everyone reading this that does not believe in God will want to stop but I have a request of you: Keep reading. Instead of messaging/commenting/texting/calling/liking in order to offer us support or condolences, please keep reading. You reading this means more to me than an “I’m Sorry”.

I have had conversations with people in the past where I was told that they could not see God in all the good things in their life. Admittedly I realized after hearing that, I agreed with it. In so many of the good things in my life I sometimes was quick to thank God for it but did I truly believe that? I was much quicker to acknowledge that all the good things I have were due to me. It was my education/effort/skill that brought all of this to me. It was because I did all of the right things. I am great dang it.

Sound like any of you reading it? It should, you are a human.

Do you want to know when I actually saw God? It was in my Nori. It was in this difficult time. Let me break down the miraculous timing of all of this:

• 7/21/14 Kati and I moved into our new home that we had recently purchased. That burden was off our shoulders.
• 7/22/14 (One day later) We decided to go into the OBGYN for a check up. At the time we didn't realize Kati's water had broken. On the way to the office Kati started to have contractions. Thankfully as we had already started driving to the OBGYN on the other side of town we were already half way to the hospital which was much closer than the OBGYN.
• The exit off the freeway to the hospital is still under going construction and had just recently re-opened so we were not delayed there.
• We arrived at St. Vincent Women's Hospital in Indianapolis. The St. Vincent hospitals in Indiana we found out are Indiana's best hospitals and possibly the country's if you ask the locals (by far the best hospital I have been to). We had the best possible care for Kati and Nori.
• I work for Ascension Health which basically has connected multiple hospitals across the country under one platform. St. Vincent is one of those hospitals which means not only are we getting the best care, we are also getting it at the best possible price in regards to insurance.
• My parents from California were in town on vacation. This meant they were readily available to take care of our home, our cat, and more importantly, us.
• Kati's family was able to take time off and come out here to support as well within days.
• For Nori to even have a shot at making it she needed to be 24 weeks old, she was only 23. Nori had to weigh 500 grams, she weighed over 700 and what should not be a surprise to anyone that has ever met us, Nori was very tall. This allowed the doctors to help give Nori a shot at making it.
• Nori was strong, very strong. Much stronger than a baby born at 23 weeks should be. This allowed her to keep fighting.
• Kati started producing milk very early into the pregnancy. This was annoying for her but now we know it needed to happen as now that Nori was born it was able to give her a chance and provide some comfort.
• Nori and our family was prayed for across the country. From California to New York. We felt that, we literally felt the presence of God sitting next to us telling us you are being cared for, you are loved, but more importantly I love you and Nori.

All those miraculous things came together to allow Kati and I to spend eight days with our beautiful daughter. All those miraculous things came together to show us God. All those miraculous things gave me the best moment of my life. My little girl was able to hold my finger and squeeze.

In the middle right side of the picture my baby girl was gripping my finger. My eyes are welling up as I type this, it was hands down the best moment of my life. She also did it again when Kati and I held her the day she passed. All fathers should know what I am talking about in that moment, but I am going to make the bold statement:

None of you appreciated it as much as I did. That is not a knock on any of you that reads that, I am just trying to convey how important that was to me.

My baby girl that should have died on day one was able to stick around long enough for me to hold her and have her hold me. In that pain, God showed up, in the timing of it all, God showed up.

I should see God in good times…

I DID SEE GOD IN HARD TIMES.

My challenge in this is to two sets of people:

1. The Non Believers: Know that I believe Jesus died for you. He did not die to punish you for not following rules; He came so you could be in paradise with Him. Read John 3:17: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”. JESUS CAME TO SAVE NOT JUDGE. I challenge you to challenge yourself. Have a conversation with a dedicated believer that will talk to you, not judge you. I would love to be that person. Right now for me is not a good time as honestly my emotions are (I hope you understand) all over the place but if you want to talk to me I can connect you to some great people.
2. The Believers: See God. That’s it. See God in bad and in the good because HE IS THERE. Do not be selfish with your success because you don’t deserve it. Cling to God in your failures because you do deserve that failure, but Jesus died so those failures would not condemn you.

I know this post is far from the articulate message I wanted it to be, but I don’t care. I am writing this for Nori.

We had one other name for her: Our Little Testimony. 

She went against all the odds to hold my hand and let me know God has a plan for all of us and God loves ALL OF US so very much. She passed away to teach us something, more than 500 sermons could ever do.

God has a plan for us, God loves us, and Jesus died so every single person can live forever.

Nori Piper Worsham beat me to paradise, but that is ok. She was here exactly as long as needed, and I pray will lead others there too.

Your mom and I love you so much Nori, thank you for being the strongest person I have ever met.