Thirty years ago today Neal and I received one of the biggest surprises of our lives: I was going to give birth to twins. Neal was in his junior year of dental school and had traveled back to Bridgman to spend the night before going on to Chicago for a dental seminar with his parents. It was three weeks before my due date so we didn’t think anything of him going away for the weekend. I was teaching school and had plenty of work to do, as teachers always do! 🙂 My water broke during the night and I called Neal for him to come home. A friend came over to stay with me until Neal got back to Ann Arbor from Bridgman. About 5 hours later Neal made it back ( he had to stop to take a nap) and we headed to the hospital. After checking me they thought the baby was too big for me to deliver and sent me for an x-ray. (This was before routine ultrasounds). When the doctor returned with the x-ray I was in active labor. He held up the x-ray to the window and said, “Here is your spin, here is the baby’s spine and here is the other baby’s spine!” Teams of doctors and nurses swarmed in and I headed to delivery shortly after. Britton Taylor was born 2:58PM weighing in at 5lb 11 1/2 oz and Grant Gordon was born 3:06PM weighing 6lb. 1 oz. Neal made the joyful phone calls to announce their birth to our families. Karl, Neal’s brother, thought he was joking and insisted I get on the phone to verify.:) 
Neal and I were blessed with three more children. Neal’s legacy will carry on through them.
I seem to be taking this milestone especially hard. I think because Britton and Grant were our first born and it began a new chapter of our life. I feel sad that Neal is not here to share in this occasion. He wasn’t here to share in Karsten’s 21st birthday in February, another milestone. All these firsts are painful, a reminder that Neal is not with us here.
I trust that God is faithful to sustain me through this difficult, yet joyful day. He does promise to heal the brokenhearted and bind up my wounds. (Psalm 147:3)
On the journey,
Trish