Our property was smitten by heavy frost last night and as I took our to Hunting Springer Spaniels outside for a walk you could hear the crunch of the grass as they ran around. Those two were very happy to be running and playing around. I watched for about thirty minutes enjoying a cup of Door County Caramel Pecan Scones Coffee and enjoying the cold myself.
Psalm 127:3-4
3. Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. 4. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are children born in one's youth.
On this date in 1978 I was with my dad rabbit hunting and it was cold and snowy. It was so cold that my dad decided to that we should quit hunting early, I drove him home and my mother met me at the door and told me to call home. When I called home my wife let me know that she was in labor and that we needed to get to the hospital. I replied "that's impossible the doctor told us the baby arrival would be in about two more weeks". Man was he wrong! I went home and we took off in a snow storm to get to the hospital. We made it safely to the hospital but were politely turned away. The nursing staff told us that the Labor and Delivery department was on diversion due to being jammed full and since the labor only started a couple of hours we needed to drive to another hospital who would be waiting for us. They assured us that we had plenty of time. In the snow storm it took about an hour to get there. About 45 minutes after arriving to the hospital we received a Christmas present wrapped in a blanket. Our daughter was born that afternoon.
As we were driving to the second hospital I noticed a small barn next to the county road. I remember thinking to myself that this situation reminded me of how Mary and Joseph could not find a place to stay except for a manger with straw and animals, I pictured us in that barn delivering a baby. I didn't say a word to my wife about my strange thoughts as it might of put her over the edge. The contractions of labor were speeding up their frequency about then. I just drove faster.
I am writing about this experience to say that on that day I became a Dad. I was totally not prepared for it. I was young and still had a wild side to me. But in all the excitement of the day, I knew that my Christmas present was a little girl who came to bless us and still does. Children are a blessing and we need to remember that no matter how old they get, they are a blessing and we need to be thankful to God for them. Thank the kids for being a part of your life.
Marty
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