Nafissa (McClenny) Bryan, This One's For You
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Nafissa (McClenny) Bryan, This One's For You

Nafissa, you made me reevaluate, cling to, and activate faith in ways I never thought possible. This one's for you...

489
Nafissa (McClenny) Bryan, This One's For You
Nicole J. Jones

September at-some-point 2017, I am sure you remember that day better than I do.

Nafi Bryan, Rico, myself, and you were at the beach just a few days before that September at-some-point day; we had had so much fun. We laughed and we joked about the way my feet turn out when I walk and about the way Nafi pinched your chubby cheeks to show the world you were his. That day, I watched you fall more in love with Nafi Bryan. I watched you enlist and draft electric energy from his presence. I couldn't help but remain a spectator of your love. Your oneness with it; it was so beautiful and biblical. It was right.

The last thing I thought about on September at-some-point, 2018 was the little life fashioning its home inside of you.

September at-some-point, 2017 you conceived. I remember you asking me to read your pregnancy test. "Amari... what does this mean..?" I remember staring at the test and immediately denying any chance of my niece's existence. "Girl stop playing, those tests are negative*... go throw those test away and never look at them again," I remember those words leaving my lips and I remember your temporary relief. Two days later you came into our shared room, face more stoic than usual, to give me a paper confirming your suspicions.

Four weeks and one day pregnant.

About three days passed and I could tell you were struggling. Struggling not with the physical pain of pregnancy, but with the suddenness of it all. You had plans Nafissa. Plans no ordinary women would dream of. Plans most men wouldn't dare draw up on their little managerial whiteboards in their respective offices. You never said this aloud, but I imagine you asking yourself " what the hell am I going to do?"

You had a choice. To "get-rid-of" the life growing inside of you or allow it to consume you. Use you for nutrients and nourishment. Drain you of your energy, your time and your willingness to tackle life head-on. To keep the baby would, for most people, be a termination of plans, of prosperity, and of life as they know it. But you were not most people.

You had a choice. And you decided, after what I am sure was a long, private and desperate prayer to Jesus Christ, that you would carry Naomi Faith- Ann Bryan into this world. And, you would carry on with your life as planned.

You never looked back.

I watched you as the months grew older and your body grew rounder. I saw the pain in your face, your constant need to vomit and your constant need to pee; I could tell pregnancy was poking holes in your faith. But you never stopped believing things would work out.

I was always amazed when you rose out of bed for class the next morning. You rarely skipped class. You made it your personal mission to do everything to the best of your ability. I watched you perform in your last dance recital… they didn't know you were pregnant, but I did. And I was awestruck.

That night, the night of your dance recital, I watched pure faith and determination drip off of your glowing body and shimmer like glitter when it hits the sunshine. I've never seen anything more beautiful than that Nafissa.

I've never met a more faithful person (besides my own mother), that walked so gracefully through such trying circumstances.

In the nine months after September at-some-point 2017, I watched you climb every step placed before you and hurdle every obstacle in front of you.

I never saw you cry (and we lived together … I'm still trying to figure that one out).

To be honest Nafissa, I was so worried, and concerned, and distraught for you; I couldn't help but stare at you; at your belly, at your swollen hips, at your stiff back, at your strong, stunningly calm eyes. Your eyes reflected a reverence for Christ that spoke a healthy fear of the Lord into my bones. They seemed to say, "Amari, God's got this."

And he did. Because he always does.

On June 25th, 2018 at around 6 pm, You pushed Naomi Faith Ann Bryan into the world. Just hours before your daughters birth, you completed the final for your summer classes. You, as people in their 20s would say, did that.

And you did it without ever doubting God would bring you through it.

When life pressed down upon you, you looked up from your desperation and screamed to God, asking him to make your life, and your mistakes mean something. He reminded you that all beautiful things, like the diamond wedding ring you now wear, require pressure.

Nafissa, you precious gem, you trusted God enough to press in on you until you became two separate beings. You didn't know where the money for a baby was going to come from. You didn't know how you were going to finish school or find a job or stay involved. You didn't understand God's unclear plan- but you trusted Him anyhow.

On September at-some-point, 2017, you joined biblical greats like Ruth and Naomi (for whom your daughter is named) and were reborn in God's image. A diamond and her daughter; you withstood necessary pressure and allowed yourself to be transformed into something so much more polished and poised.

Nafissa (McClenny) Bryan, you have lived up to your name's sake (precious gem) and your display of great faith has forever changed me.

It is my only hope that your story, though told through my eyes, will provoke someone to believe in and trust in our God the way you do.

The greatest praise any one person could ever receive is emulation, and I hope to God my faith can replicate your's one day.

#stayencouraged

*If you suspect you may be pregnant, do not wait! Go to the doctors and get a pregnancy test… it can be very easy to misread a pregnancy test, especially if you are panicked!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

Fall Is Here!

10 reasons why you should love fall

1697
Fall Is Here!
Photo Cred: T Stangell

It's officially fall, which means I am happy, so very happy. Fall is hands down the best season on the planet. Below, I will go over reasons as to why fall is the best and should be loved by everyone.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!

Lorelai Gilmore and I are kindred spirits.

3610
Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!

When I was in high school, I was the occasional coffee drinker, if you could call it that. I would drink Starbucks frappuccinos and iced mocha drinks, which were more like snacks than coffee, BUT they had coffee in them, so I said I drank coffee. I progressed from my love of “snack drinks" to a more general appreciation of coffee, and would have a cup of coffee once a week or so. My “cup of coffee" would consist of a little coffee and a lot of cream and sugar, but it was coffee nonetheless. Then I started college.

Keep Reading...Show less
14 of the Most Revolutionary Short Films of All Time
JoinOneLove

Today's society places a ridiculous amount of importance on social media and what we see on our computer screens. Some of these short films you might have seen shared on Facebook. Some of them you may have never even heard of. Whatever the case may be, these productions have used thier position of power in our world today to spread a message. The messages vary from domestic violence, LGBTQ acceptance, self-love, the role of men in society to end the unfair treatment towards women and even the promotion of the furtherence of medical discovery in our country. Regardless of the message, each film advertises something that needs far more screen time than Victoria's Secret Fashion shows or Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Here are 14 of the best and most revolutionary short films to date:

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Heading Home For The Summer

Why go somewhere fun when you can go home?

3727
girl with parents

Well, this school year has come to a close, and it's off to having fun in the sun. For college students, summer offers a few different options: get an internship somewhere AMAZING like NYC, India or somewhere else awesome, travel, stay in your college town or go home for the summer. Whatever the reasoning, many people do end up going home and living with their parents during the summer. Many things are different when you go home for the summer. After almost a whole year being an adult, it's time to return to your parent's home and follow rules that you threw to the wind the second you stepped on campus last fall. And you get to see all your old friends, the ones who came home anyway. You'll also see people you haven't talked to since you graduated that you were really okay with never seeing again. If you are going home for the summer, here are some things that will happen to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

14 Signs You Have A Big Butt

You will only understand these if you have a big rear end.

113928
Kim Kardashian pours champagne onto her big butt
celebitchy.com

The 'big booty' is all the rage right now, thanks to Kim Kardashian. People are getting butt implants just to have that 'perfect butt.' But what a lot of people don't realize is having a big butt kind of sucks. Here some things you will understand if you have a big butt.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments