Dear Mia, you cannot believe how close you were to not being
born. Your mom and I set a deadline of October 2007 for us to get news that the
stork would be bringing you nine months later. After waiting for news for most
of that year, the summer faded into fall and the deadline was approaching. I
was prepared to wait for news that you were coming until January of 2008, but
it is a conversation I don’t remember having with your mom.
The same month the deadline was approaching, I was training
to run the Portland Marathon, so much of the time I was very tired. On my long
runs around the Hillsboro airport I would think about you a lot. Since there
was no word from the stork, we didn’t really know for certain whether you would
be a boy or girl, but somehow I knew. I just knew. I think your mom wanted a
girl too… with two boys already, but for awhile there… it didn’t look like you
were coming at all.
Well before October of 2007 I sensed something life changing
was on the horizon. I didn’t even know what… but looking back, I think it was
you.
In April 2007 I wrote:
“When I started my marathon journey I thought something
would be different by the time I ran my marathon. Something that I could put my
finger on and say ‘that is it!’, but as of yet… I haven’t found what that would
be. Is it something I will discover during the run itself, is it something I
already have and don’t understand the significance of… or will the marathon be
my sports car, not solving anything, but just acting as a blaring reminder that
I am near midlife, and I still haven’t figured out what this is all about. I
hold out for something a bit more optimistic than that, but I am not sure what
it would be.”
I walked upstairs when your mom was in the bedroom bathroom
calling the stork to see if you coming… and nervously paced away. Something
deep down in me knew what the answer would be… and sure enough… the news from
the stork was… you were on the way.
