THE BEST IS YET TO COME

Out of the tree of life, I just picked me a plumb
You came along and everything started to hum
Still it's a real good bet, the best is yet to come

The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine
You think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine

Wait till the warm-up is underway
Wait till our lips have met
Wait till you see that sunshine day
You ain't seen nothin' yet

The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine
The best is yet to come, come the day that your mine


September 22, 1978

A day like any other day except…I was 9 months pregnant and ready to pop. Actually, I still had 3 days to go before the actual due date, but I had been ready for a long time.
This was my second pregnancy. I had a two-year old boy Bryan, anxiously waiting for the day he would be the big brother. Could today be the day?

We woke up at our normal time and Chip got ready to go to work. I was having contractions but heck, I’d been through this before and it didn’t quite seem like I was ready. I encouraged Chip to go to work, promising I would call if the contractions grew closer or stronger. I tried going back to bed but by this time the contractions were 5 minutes apart. No sooner had Chip gotten into the office and I thought I’d better call. I told him I thought he needed to come home and he immediately headed back to the house. By the time he returned, the contractions had stopped. It was crazy! They had been 5 minutes apart for a couple of hours and suddenly they stopped! Chip said he wasn’t driving back to work, so he suggested we go do something. We decided to call my younger sister Eileen and ask her to come watch Bryan. We thought we’d go to the mall, walk around a little bit and price out Sees Suckers vs. cigars to make our big announcement. Back then, having an ultrasound to let us know the sex of the baby just wasn’t done. They only did ultrasounds if there was a potential risk to either the mother or the baby. Thankfully, there was nothing to indicate a problem with either of us. It had been a perfect pregnancy from day one. So, we would have to wait to see if the baby was a boy or a girl, which meant we would have to wait to buy the suckers or cigars, because they either came with pink stickers or bands or blue and we didn’t know what we would need.

After carrying and delivering a boy 2 years prior, I was pretty sure I was having another boy. Secretly, I wanted a girl desperately, but never considered myself a lucky person, so I resigned myself to the fact that this baby was a boy. But I’m getting ahead of my story.

Once we were at the mall the contractions were getting closer and closer. After having gone through 14 hours of labor with baby number 1, I promised myself I wasn’t going to spend that much time in the hospital, prior to delivery. I remember walking into the cigar shop at the mall and having a huge contraction. The salesman was showing us cigars and asked me when the baby was due. I took a deep cleansing breath, exhaled through my nose and said, “anytime”. The salesman’s eyes grew wide and I turned to Chip and said, “I think we’d better head to the hospital”. I suddenly had an immediate flashback to when I gave birth to my first child. We were at dinner when my water broke. It was a little embarrassing to say the least, and now, to be in the middle of the mall and have my water break, well for being 9 months pregnant, I walked really fast!

We left the store, not making a purchase, stopped by the house to pick up the bag and went directly to the hospital. By this time it was 2:00 PM. They checked me and I was dilated to 6…they were going to admit me!

The rest of the afternoon is a blur because it went by so quickly and it was “textbook perfect”. My doctor showed up in a very good mood. He checked me out and said it won’t be long. Within a few hours Chip was advised to go “scrub up and change” and before we knew it I was wheeled into the delivery room.

The delivery couldn’t not have been more perfect. Everything about it was exactly as if it came from a textbook (according to my doctor). By the time I was ready to deliver, the doctor was singing, “The best is yet to come and won’t it be fine?”

After just a few healthy pushes Dr. Juario proudly announced, “it’s a girl!” Imagine my surprise! I was lucky after all! She was born at 6:29 PM at Queen of the Valley hospital in West Covina, CA. She weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. and was 21” long. She was beautiful…but wait…what were we going to name her? I was so certain “she” would be a “he” I hadn’t considered any girl names. Over the next 24 hours we got to know our little girl a little better and chose a name I loved the minute I first heard it… She would be named Alyson.

Back in the delivery room Dr. Juario continued to sing that same song. To this day it makes me smile whenever I hear it. Alyson and Mike even chose that song to be played at their wedding, during their recessional.

It’s true, “The best is yet to come…” and it continues in January 2007. Did I tell you I’m going to be a grandma? Happy Birthday Alyson. May your baby boy bring you the same joy and happiness you've given to us! We love you!

Gracious Heavenly Father,
28 years seems like a very long time to us, but to you it’s like a nano second. 28 years for us is filled with good times and bad times. For You, as You look down at us, I pray it’s been filled with mostly good times. Times and events that, as we went through them and wondered why, You looked at us and knew why and what the outcome would be. You chose those times to mold us and to shape us and to help us cling to You even more.
Thank you for each lesson You gave us. I pray we’ve learned well and have made you smile in delight. Thank you for loving me so much, You gave me the deepest desire of my heart, to be the mother of a little girl. I thank you and love you so much. Amen.