Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: GOING HOME (from vacation) (09/03/15)
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TITLE: Jet Lag | Previous Challenge Entry
By LeslieJean Anderson
09/10/15 -
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“But the birth control…” I sputtered.
“Wait – you said you just came home from a three month vacation in the Philippines with your husband?”
I nodded.
“Well, that probably explains it. Sometimes overseas travel throws off a female cycle. Quite a souvenir, don’t you think? See you in a month.” With the faintest hint of a smile, he scribbled on my thick medical chart and walked out. I sat there, speechless. Finally I got up and wandered out to the parking lot.
This was not the coming home I had envisioned. I had complained of digestive problems and jet lag for weeks, but pregnancy? I thought we’d fixed that. How was I going to care for five children under ten years? Especially when my Navy husband spent most of his time in airplanes or on aircraft carriers? I finally drove home to my four rambunctious boys and dismissed the babysitter.
I was basically a happy young mother. The first two pregnancies had not slowed me down. But the next two were harder. And then there was a troubling spell of childbirth depression after the most recent one. I had been so grateful for another healthy baby, but tears still flooded my cheeks all day long. Getting through my day was torture.
Confused and ashamed at my weakness, I hid my pain and emotional turmoil. I was afraid I was losing my mind. “This will have to be my last baby,” I whispered to myself. My recovery took a long time. When I finally told my husband, he agreed that our family was complete.
But now I wondered: could God have had other plans?
My thoughts drifted back a few months to those days of excited vacation planning. My husband’s deployment in an exotic location had been so enticing – we just could not pass up a vacation there. My health had been restored and the old spark of adventure animated my actions and my conversation.
“We’re going to fly in a big plane and go see Daddy,” I announced to my four energetic boys. They jumped up and down and ran through the house, with arms out pretending to be airplanes. “Fly plane to Daddy,” they all yelled.
Encouraged by their enthusiasm, I began preparations. International travel was something I knew. Soon I was working down the long list of tasks: plane tickets, dog sitters, temporary vacation housing, and shots. I ordered passports. But at the last minute one important piece of paper was missing – the youngest child’s birth certificate.
I knew I had ordered it. I tracked it, and was assured it was in the mail. It never came. I ordered another one, but it was delayed. Finally the deadline was upon us, and it was still missing. We needed help fast, or the entire trip would have to be cancelled. So on a Sunday morning before church I went to God in prayer.
“Please help us God,” I prayed. “In Your Mercy you have restored my health and opened doors for this vacation. If it is truly Thy Will, please help me find a way to obtain that document.”
Later that day I remembered the name of a dear friend who lived in Virginia – the same state that held the birth certificate captive. I called her and complained about the missing document.
“I am at the end of my rope, Susan. Do you have any ideas?” I asked her.
There was a pause at the other end of the line. Then my friend spoke the incredible words which saved the overseas vacation, and brought into our lives the little “souvenir.”
“Well, Jeanne,” she said, “You are not going to believe this, but my brother works in Richmond right across the street from the Health Department. And he’s sitting in my living room right now! He just stopped for a short visit on his way out of town. I bet he can obtain the document you need tomorrow and overnight it to you. Is that soon enough?”
God’s perfect timing. Yes, I guess He did have other plans for us.
So, a year after that amazing phone call, I delivered the vacation baby. And twenty-two years after that he married a beautiful gifted American girl who had been born – guess where? In the Philippines.
Note: This is non-fiction. 746 words
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There's so much honesty and energy flowing through the story that it cannot help but be true. Well done.
I loved your ending as well.