Sweet 16

In just four days my first child turns 16 years old! I recall the months that lead up to the day I found out I was pregnant.

My father had died unexpectedly on a crisp October morning and for the next few months there wasn't one day in which I didn't cry. Whenever I was alone for more than 10 minutes, I would cry--in the shower, on the way to work. I cried myself to sleep almost every night. Every day I prayed that I could see my dad in my dreams; just to talk to him. Around the end of December my prayer was answered. I dreamed that I was in high school and playing softball. My father parked on a hill overlooking the softball field and waited for my practice to end. I remember running up the hill, bat in one hand and glove in the other. I jumped in the truck and immediately began to rattle of the events of my day. My dad sat silently, listening. When I complained that my stomach hurt, my father reached over and unsnapped my jeans--his solution for my stomach ache. My stomach instantly grew to the dash and then I woke up. On January 6, 1992 (my husband's birthday), I found out that I was pregnant. The dream I had of my father suddenly made sense--this was God's way of letting me see my father and involving him in a special moment in my life. From that point on, my life had a renewed sense of purpose. I was able to pull myself together and look forward a different chapter in my life.