Water Broke

I’m about to become a grandpa and I’m going to share something pretty private with you. I hope you don’t mind.

Well, it’s 4:55 PM on Thursday, February 18, and my son Italo called me two minutes ago to say his girl Sara’s water broke. He got her to the hospital 20 minutes ago. So Taylor Rain Gorman should be coming out right about now. At least her corona, and I’m sending a blessing as I type this.

My prayer is that she comes out with the right number of arms, legs, fingers and toes, and that she gets lots of love growing up and that she becomes a wonderful human being.

Now, as she’s coming out, she’s still an angel. She’s see-through. And she’ll be see-through for weeks. Finally, she’ll solidify. And then she’s stuck here. So I hope her time here is filled with more fun than pain, more laughs than tears, more success than failure, more love than lack. And if that happens, the rest won’t matter much.

So here is to you, angel Taylor Rain Gorman. I hope you have the most wonderful life, full of fantastic adventures. I hope you grow up warm in the love of your family and that you learn to share that infinite love selflessly. I hope each day brings a couple of things that make you laugh out loud. I hope your belly is full of good food and that there is enough of it for you to share with those without.

And I hope that 80 years from now, when it’s your time to return to where you came from, that you can look back and smile and think that it wasn’t such a bad sojourn after all.

I wish you a good dollop of luck as well. I wish you the gift of stepping two inches to the side when someone tries to slap you. I wish you the gift of knowing when not to step off the curb. I wish you the gift of humility so that you can use rightful pride appropriately. I wish you the Gorman girl legs and your dad Italo’s heart and your mom, Sara’s strength and my mom’s stick-to-it-iveness, and my dad’s artistry. I wish you the gift of your grandma Chepa’s laughter, and Madeleina’s soul and Marco’s ferocity. I wish you all the gifts the Gormans, the Taylors, the Aguilars and all your relations have, combined and at three times the force. I wish you a wonderful time here.

I don’t even know you. You’re not even here yet. But I’m wishing these things to make your arrival safe and your stay a joy.

And for anything I’ve forgotten, just ask me. I’m your grandpa.

Welcome to the world, little girl.