The Journey

So, today, I am going to have a baby.  I know this little girl already though I was certain she would be a boy. She is constantly moving even now.  I finally get to see what she looks like. I wonder what color her hair will be.  I wonder what kind of mommy I will be... I slept off and on for most of the day.  The slow drip of the IV, the cool temperature in the room, and the lights perfectly dimmed made napping a pleasant experience. Until the epidural stopped working, that is.  The pain had gotten so severe, I began trembling uncontrollably.  There were audible people noises, but I could not concentrate. Then my Mother's beautiful face came into focus. My sisters appeared with my wide-eyed niece and nephew. The curious, yet serious young faces were a sight to behold! Bless them. Their Christmas morning excitement had been undercut by my 6:00 a.m. telephone call.  The evening was turning to nighttime as the whole dramatic scene began to unfold....

"Brittni, Brittni, look at me. Brittni, open your eyes. Open your eyes. Stay with me." Dim lights appear overhead as I am being moved through some kind of a corridor. I hear muffled voices and people are moving fast all around me. Who is calling my name? Where are they taking me? I feel so tired. I cannot keep my eyes open.  "Brittni, Brittni, Bri..." Christmas Eve is not at all magical when your home is turned into a secondary site for a terribly busy, very disorganized, and extremely tumultuous catering business. I used to tell my ex-husband the name of the business should be Chaos Catering. He laughed, but secretly agreed. This was not the first Christmas Eve I had to endure the turbulent scurrying of servers, bartenders, and chefs. Food flying on meticulously decorated fine silver platters, wine glasses hurriedly loaded into crates for transport, more food flying...and language that would make a sailor blush. (Sometimes, that was me. Ha!) This year was more d...