Cindy Jo's Story, November 12th, 2018

I realized something as I went to write this today.  I love hearing other people's life stories.  I'm fascinated by where they've gone and what they've done.  I still get the printed newspaper every day and I enjoy reading the obituaries.  I discovered the other day that Debbie Reynold's brother just passed away.  Turns out he was a costumer for film and television.  Who knew?!  It's not just people in the entertainment industry who interest me but anyone.  On this day where we recognize our Veterans and the sacrifices they have made, I think about the many people I have read about who served in the various wars.

Anyway, back to my story.  As I mentioned before, my father wasn't real thrilled about starting back at square one with a new child.  And in those days they didn't have a test for the baby's gender.  My mom had a long and difficult labor.  I shifted during this time and they couldn't find my heartbeat.  This will sound strange but I think I remember being in her uterus, when I was first conscious   I remember a diffused red glow, like looking through tissue.  And I remember thinking, without the use of words of course, where am I and what is going on.  It was puzzling.  But back to outside her uterus.  Because they couldn't find my heartbeat they thought they had lost me.  But when I finally appeared, my heart was beating just fine.  Because of sharing my quarters with her fibroid tumors I was very small. 

​My father had shared with his pediatrician friend, Dr. Wilson, that he really didn't want this baby.  When my dad found out that he had a daughter and as he held me in the palm of his hand, because I was that small, he melted.  Dr. Wilson said to my dad, "Hink, if you don't want this little girl, I'll take her."  My dad responded with, "Like hell you will."  And that was that.  My life of being daddy's girl began at that moment.  There's more about this time period that I will share on Friday.