At 4 o’clock Sunday morning, February 15th last year, I was frantically, yet with professional calm and focus due to my black belt in suitcase packing, getting my life back into my carry-on in my hotel room in Toledo, OH in preparation for my "allow for 2 hours" drive back to Detroit for my return flight home. Winter was in full swing in Toledo this weekend with high snow piles, icy roads and blistering wind chill; thus the need to allow for 2 hours to the airport. The snow was really coming down. Around 4:10 my phone rang, too early for my co-workers to be calling to make sure that I was up. My heart skipped a beat as I saw my wife’s devious smile appear across my iPhone’s screen. One might think that if I were in a hotel room in the 4 o’clock hour, that my wife would be with me, and in fact she was supposed to be with me because we were both booked to be working the same event that weekend. Well I guess, being in the hospital ended up being where she REALLY was supposed to be, but more on that later. Upon picking up the phone, I heard my wife Dayna’s heavy breathing, a quick "I love you," and then some fumbling with the phone...then the voice of my mother-in-law telling me that my baby would soon be here, almost 12 weeks early.
To give you a little insight to the scenario….mine and my wife's flights to Detroit WERE booked for the Friday before my daughter’s day-after-Valentine’s Day birth. ON Valentine’s Day, Dayna and I were booked to work a dance competition in Toledo, OH, about an hour drive from the Detroit International Airport on a good day. The Wednesday BEFORE, Dayna’s Doctor sent her to the hospital on intuition after a routine appointment and my wife was admitted to the hospital upon arrival due to elevated blood pressure. Upon 24 hours of monitoring, it was determined that she was showing signs of pre-eclampsia; which basically means that the pregnancy is becoming toxic to the mother’s body, and that she would be staying in the hospital until our baby would be born. Dayna's mother and aunt as well as her father (coming from different states) immediately prepared to travel (drive), and both parties arrived at the hospital by that Friday at noon; which was only 2 hours after I left the hospital headed for the competition in Toledo. On Saturday morning, just before sitting down to work, I received a picture from my wife of her looking quite disheveled (sorry honey!) breathing through the oxygen tubes in her nose lying in a hospital bed.
In my line of work, especially this particular gig, it is imperative that you are able to leave your ‘stuff’ at the door, if you catch my drift. Not that the birth of my daughter is just ‘stuff,’ but you get what I’m saying. Adjudicating a dance competition isn’t rocket science, especially when you have been training in your art-form and passionately pursuing it for over 20 years, however watching and remaining focused with an encouraging and engaging look, if not a smile, on your face for 8, sometimes 12, hours at a time takes some serious stamina...and a strong bladder. “Keep it together Garrett. You gotta be present in the moment and provide encouragement and feedback for these kids...”
One of the largest blessings that came out of this situation, were the numerous people around me this weekend combined with the inner circles of my family garden, that prayed, loved, counseled and helped me to understand and be at peace with the fact that EVERYTHING is PERFECT in GOD's timing; a concept that shows itself in such clear ways when you have the faith to look for it and recognize it when you see it. My wife and my daughter were EXACTLY where they are supposed to be in that moment; and as crazy as it sounds coming out of my fingers at the moment, so was I. Did I want to be there?? Absolutely. That goes without saying. Can I see reason in the timing and situation? Immediately. And I know that more epiphanies will present themselves in time. At the time, I had NO idea the love that would explode in my heart upon laying eyes on my daughter for the first time, nor the stress that I'd feel over the next 10 weeks from what I’m calling the "hospital roller coaster ride of life," but I DO know in time, God's time, the lessons, inspirations and ultimately effects of this scenario, for myself and my family, will reveal themselves. My faith has been strengthened, my hope has been renewed, and my understanding of LOVE has been REDEFINED. Now, back to the hotel room…
The call ended just as quickly as Dayna was able to mutter ‘I love you,’ and to be completely honest - I was emotionally flustered. Auto-pilot kicked in as I finished stuffing my life back into my carry-on, completed my final customary idiot check to make sure I hadn’t left anything, and was down in lobby just a few minutes late. Thank goodness for the patience, support, and faith in my driving that my two female co-workers showed for me that morning, for not only was I the designated driver on this near blizzardy sunrise, but I spent the first half of our trip on the phone. En route to the airport, I made 2 calls. One to my mother, whom at the time was on sleeping duty with my 2-year old niece. My mother, believe me when I tell you, is a Saint among Saints. The phrase “it’s not about the circumstances that you find yourself in, it’s how you react and deal with them,” is a sorry and cliche attempt at a vague picture of the strength, patience, and compassion that is my mother. She has a way of calming a situation, kinda like Jasper, the soft spoken vampire from the Twilight book series. Once again a pitiful comparison, but roll with me here. Knowing that my mother was praying over us put my heart at ease. The second was to the fiercest prayer warrior I have ever known, who immediately began praying aloud over me, my wife and my daughter. As she spoke my heart began to fill with warmth, as it does whenever we get to pray together. This warmth spreads from my heart throughout my entire body until it consumes me; a feeling I can only describe as God's presence, the Holy Spirit. This woman speaks with the conviction, authority, and familiarity of one who has truly come to know God on an intimate level; I mean, she goes shopping with God, for goodness sakes. After over an hour of prayer, and that much closer to the airport, I hung up the phone with complete and utter confidence that God's Angels were all over that hospital prepared to kick the stuffing out of any demon that might have the guts to show it’s lowly little face. I was also completely confident in the fact that already in heaven, God was preparing a schedule for the various Angels that would be on watch over my wife, baby, and every pair of hands touching them both that morning.
The remainder of the morning went along “as usual,” although this would be my final “as usual” travel day. By this point in my career, much of which has required traveling, I am well accustomed to life on the road, including the ins and outs of going through the airport. With auto-pilot in gear I dropped my co-workers at their terminal and after a hearty hug, "too-da-loo" and "keep us posted," I swung back around to drop off the rental car before proceeding to the terminal and through security. Obviously there was no sleeping on this flight. Prayer. Quiet, focused prayer and meditation? Yes. Sleep? No. I did however have this quiet conviction, or perhaps understanding, that Dayna and my baby (who hadn’t even officially been named Aria at this point) were perfectly fine, which was confirmed by a text message I received upon landing. With one final leg of my journey, I claimed my bag, picked up our car (which had been parked at the airport) and began the last hour of my life pre-fatherhood. A 45 minute drive, some anxious small talk with the security guard on duty (whom eventually came to know us by name) an update from my mother-in-law (who was sitting in a post delivery hospital room with a very groggy Dayna), a kiss to my wife’s forehead and some deliberate prayer later, and I am FINALLY approaching the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). After buzzing for clearance to enter, identifying myself for the first time as "father Minniti," two vigorous minutes of hand washing (something that is required upon entrance), and speaking to a lovely nurse by the name of Kathy regarding her condition, I slowly, but anxiously approached my daughter....
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