When my youngest daughter was born, I was standing less than six inches away from the doctor in the delivery room of the Bangkok Nursing Home. Many dads have witnessed the birth of a child; however, it’s unlikely that many were as close to the action as I was.
In the delivery room, I was inches away from Dr. Sermsak, our friendly Thai physician. As he leaned in closer, I could feel the doctor’s coat brushing against me as he guided my daughter into the world. That was Miracle number One. As he held my daughter up, I was still inches away from him when she took the very first breath of her life. I was so close to her; I could smell her breath. That was Miracle number Two.
While I have seen many wondrous things in my life, nothing can even come close to that experience. To this day, every time I see her, I envisage those two miracles. As she grew up and made mistakes as a child, I thought of that moment in time, and suddenly, being angry just didn’t matter to me. I’ve heard people refer to a gift that means more to them than any other. This, my friends, is my forever gift from a daughter who was one minute old.
Are we there yet? 