I've had a few memorable days in my life. When I was growing up, I never really wanted anything. I remember going to see Santa one year and asking him to bring my mom a new bathrobe. Every Christmas, we got a lot of gifts from my mom's side of the family, and the cut-off age was 16. On my sixteenth Christmas, all my aunts and uncles pitched in and bought me a record player. I was really excited and grateful.
I was excited when I went to Hawaii alone to join a singles group and tour the islands. I made friends with some group members and have corresponded for many years.
I was happy when I got engaged. My sister ran a bridal shower for me at her house, and I was truly surprised. Then there was the wedding, and we had a nice ceremony that included all our aunts, uncles, cousins, and good friends.
But the most memorable day of my life was finding out I was pregnant. I knew I was and kept going to the doctor's office with my olive jar full of pee. I guess it was too early to tell, and they kept telling me it was negative. The funny thing is that one Saturday, John was going to go past the doctor's office, so I gave him my usual olive jar to drop off at the doctor's office, and when he came home, he said, "Honey, you're pregnant."
The following week, I went to see our dear Dr. Handeyside, and he checked me out and confirmed that we would soon have a blessed event in our family. He said he never saw a forty-year-old woman so excited to be having a baby. Everyone in the waiting room that day knew I was having a baby. I don't think my feet touched the ground as I left the office. I stayed healthy, had an easy delivery, and had a beautiful, bouncy baby boy whom we named Andrew. It's hard to describe the love that fills your heart when you see your child for the first time. That love has just been growing and growing for the past forty years.