Remembering an Important Day

It was a Friday that brought with it some good and some bad. The good: the annual Thanksgiving lunch put on by the Hospitality Club. Turkey. Sweet potatoes. Dressing. Cranberries. The works. The bad: the visitation and funeral for a former co-worker, a man I admired, who was dealt the most vicious of blows -- a diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig's Disease. A terrible way to go.

The plan that afternoon was simple: Grab and enjoy the Thanksgiving lunch, spend a little more time at work, then drive south for about an hour with Holly, a co-worker who also used to work with our deceased friend.

Then the call came.

Wife: lightning -- it's time.

Me: Time for what ?

Wife: The baby.

Me: Huh?

Wife: I'm going into labor. We need to go to the hospital now.

Me: Now? But I just got this great lunch -- turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, ...

Wife: Fine. Finish your lunch and meet me at the hospital.

Me: Okay (and that is how I roll, baby!).

I headed back to my office and indeed finished the spectacular lunch. Wouldn't you? This would be our third child, so I was familiar with the routine. Go to the hospital. Then wait. And wait ...

I called Holly and apologized for not being able to drive and accompany her. Unfortunately, her car was in the shop and she had no other way to get to the visitation at the last minute. I always have felt badly that we missed a chance to say goodbye to our friend, but there was no choice.

This pregnancy was unlike the others. Due to some medical complications, we were told to make this our last natural-born child. We probably were the hospital leaders in ultrasounds. Our specialist kept a very close eye on my wife. We were not going to feel relieved until the baby was born and we knew that both baby and mother would be okay.

And okay they were. Fourteen years ago today, my youngest daughter was born. A kindred spirit, she has been our only child to accompany her dad to Las Vegas. When the other kids thought their dad's Las Vegas stories were boring, this child asked to hear more and dreamed of going there. She got her wish as her special trip when she completed elementary school. The other kids went on a romp through Canada with my wife. This daughter went to Las Vegas with her old man and hung out at the pool, the game rooms, and child-friendly strip areas. It was my only non-gambling trip to Las Vegas. Not even a quarter in the slots, believe it or not!

Blogger friend Schaubs has been experiencing the joy of his newborn twin daughters. Enjoy these days while you can, bro. Before you know it they start growing up on you and you wonder where those days went.