Years ago, when my wife was pregnant with our second child and about to give birth, my Mom came to stay with us for a few days. One early evening Mom asked for a pen, paper, and an envelope. She wrote on the paper, sealed it in the envelope, and gave it to me. “Put this in your pocket and don’t open it. You’ll know when,” she said.
Thirty minutes later my wife announced it was time to go to the hospital, she was in labor. So we did, and about 9 hours later our second daughter was born at 3:45 AM. She weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces, and was 20 inches long.
This being pre-cell phone days, I called my Mom from the hospital to tell her the news. She answered the phone and immediately said, “Before you say anything, open the envelope.” I did. It said:
“Girl 3:45 AM, 8 lbs, 11 oz, 20 inches”
I kept that paper for years. When my Mom died, I went to our documents safe where we kept it, but it was gone.
