The Happiest Day

13/12/23 05:19
IMG_1074December 13, 2023 (Vol. 17 No. 51) - Today is the 40th anniversary of the happiest day of my life. My daughter and only child, Susan Elizabeth Guth, was born at 8:31 p.m. EST on December 13, 1983, at the Wake Medical Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was a moment that my wife Jan and I had worked, prayed and cried over for several years. Coming from a family with seven children, I had no idea that becoming parents could be such a long, drawn-out and difficult process. But finally, our prayers were answered. Every parent has a childbirth story. Ours was the public nature of the event. I was working as a reporter-anchor for WRAL-FM in Raleigh at the time. When Jan went into labor around 11:00 p.m. on December 12, I called the radio station to let the folks there know that childbirth was imminent and that I would not be coming into work. As we were driving to the hospital, the morning DJ, a good man who called himself "Famous Bob Inskeep (FBI)" announced that the baby was on the way - which was how many of our family and friends learned about the impending arrival of our first child. When we arrived at the hospital and introduced ourselves, the nurse said, "Yes, I heard about you on the radio. We've been expecting you." It wasn't until the next evening that our daughter was born. Above is our first family picture. This is the link to a special video I produced to celebrate this special birthday. Now, 40 years later, our daughter is married to a generous and loving man and they have two fabulous daughters of their own. I am proud of the woman my daughter Susan Novotney has become. My only sadness is that Susan's mother is not here to celebrate this milestone with us, as she passed away in 2007. But I know she is looking down on us with her loving smile remembering that day 40 years ago that gave both of our lives new hope and meaning. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.