Yogis,
Waiting is a funny thing. There is something you know is going to happen at
some point in the future and in the time which precedes it, you are in a state
of anticipation. Your sense of time changes, images of what is to come float
through your mind and very often impatience pops her head up. Humans are typically
not big fans of waiting.
Can’t it get here faster?
There are some things you wait for where you know exactly when
it is going to arrive. Christmas, as an example. Your birthday. Friday. Vacation.
Then there are those others that don’t have a specific time attached to them. Spring
is like that. We wait and wait and wait, and often the day spring is heralded in
on our calendar presents us with cold rain and gray skies. Spring arrives on
her own terms.
A baby is the same way……..
Our third grandchild was due December 30th and we were all convinced that labor would kick in sometime between Christmas and New Years – being a third child and all. But to be on the safe side I packed my bag the week before Christmas. It was cold out, so in went wool sweaters and thick socks. Christmas weekend we hit highs of 70 so out came the wool and in went cotton, only to have frigid temps in the forecast after New Years. Each day the suitcase was reviewed and adjusted.
My phone, which is never in my bedroom, lay on the floor right
next to my bed with the volume way up for two weeks. Each rollover I did
included a glance down at the phone to see if there were any messages. My phone
traveled with me throughout the house, on my errands (which were never far from
home, just in case) and sat next to my mat while I taught. It became an
appendage.
The days and weeks went by and each morning I woke up, rushed to take my shower (just in case) and waited.
The plan, we all thought, was for my daughter-in-law to be
induced on Monday 1/3. At last, a specific date to focus in on! Until she was
told on Sunday that no, she was only on a waitlist for Monday. Who knew? They would call if they had an opening. And
now a storm was on its way…… Suitcase
adjusted yet again with snow boots and gloves.
Monday morning arrived with a blustery heavy snow and at the peak of the storm, a call from the doctor. The waiting was almost over!
After a harrowing, but head down determined drive, we continued
our waiting, but now with the joyful companionship of the two other grandkids. We
passed the waiting time with sledding, snowmen, books and lots of snacks. Nothing
by bedtime so the phone once again rested by my head. And I waited and waited and
waited……
Until 9:00 in the morning when we received the magnificent
news that a healthy Benjamin Ryan Cahill had entered this world at 4 am! The
waiting was over, and the blessing of his birth made every single moment of it a
gift. He is perfect and my dad summed it up beautifully when he said ‘my heart swells.’
‘When are Mommy, Daddy and Ben coming home?’ the kids asked expectantly, jumping up and down. Not until tomorrow night. The waiting began again. The donuts that were delivered helped……
It feels odd not to be waiting anymore,
SARAH
No comments:
Post a Comment