Imagine lying on the hospital bed, waiting to see your baby for the first time, and having the ultrasound technician ask you if you’ve been leaking any fluid, followed shortly by a muttered, “this isn’t good.” My friend, Carla, and her husband, John, started a turbulent, but victorious, four month journey with those very words. I met Carla Agliata last September, at a mom’s group Bible study that I help teach at our church. Carla is a quiet, beautiful girl with an indomitable spirit. As the weeks of our Bible study passed she started to share a little bit about the son she’d lost. Once I realized that her husband, John, had written a book about their son’s life, and death, I knew I wanted to read it. I really don’t know what I expected; I just know I got so much more.
Jacob’s Story in an amazing testimony of faith when all is going wrong. As I first started reading it I found myself stopping to read a section to my husband. After just a few pages I realized that this was going to be an exceptional book and we made the decision that I would just read it, in it's entirety, aloud to John (husband, John, not author John) as we traveled to and fro in the car. This would eliminate my having to stop and start every time I found a section that I wanted to share with him. Please note, this isn’t the fastest way to get through a book, especially when you have to take occasional breaks to catch your breath.
This book isn’t so much about all the medical issues that Jacob and his mom faced, though they are included, as it is about how John and Carla drew near to God in those four months they spent waiting and praying for a miracle. And, it’s about the lives that Jacob touched in just a few short hours.
What I loved most about this book was the way Carla and John embraced the significance of Jacob’s life even as he grew in the womb. Included in Jacob’s Story is an amazing article that John (author John, not husband John) wrote for the Oxford Press, where he worked, titled How Long is a Lifetime? The book is worth the price if only for that short article, but there is so much more!
It may seem that Jacob’s Story would be a depressing read, but really, it isn’t at all. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll need some Kleenex, but you’ll also laugh . . . . a lot. John has a writing style that I absolutely love. When you are done reading this book you’ll not only be encouraged in your faith, but you’ll feel like you are friends with the Agliatas. They are an incredible couple, who, I’m happy to say, now have another beautiful son, and another on the way.
Visit Jacob’s Story website to get your copy of this book. You’ll be glad you did.
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