It all started on the morning of January 11, 1973. (Well technically, it started before that, but for this article, we’ll stick to January 11, 1973.) My wife tells me, “It’s time!”. So without hesitation, we jump in the car and rush to the hospital. Having already picked out a boy’s name 6 months earlier, I decided to look through a book of girls’ names while I’m waiting. Turns out I didn’t have to do that, because the nurse comes out to announce, “It’s a boy, and everybody’s fine”. I’m led back to a room where Mom and Deron are. I look at him and think, ‘I hope he doesn’t look like that forever.’ Well the hospital has a no visitation policy in effect because of some outbreak (can’t remember exactly), but I don’t see Mom and son till 3 days later, at their discharge. Boy, has he changed! What a great looking kid. And a smile that just lit up the room! I grab him up, we go to the car, and he lays on my shoulder as I drive to Gram’s house. After a visit there, (long enough to get a lifetime promise for free baby sitting) we head home to begin my journey of parenting. Thank goodness for God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness , because I was (and am) in need of all of them. I’ll have more to share in future articles of the adventures of being a Dad. But I’ll say this in closing: it has been one of the greatest pleasures in my life, for which I am most thankful.
