Page 10 - FDCC Pandemic Book

Living in a Pandemic: A Collection of Stories on Coping, Resilience & Hope
honest, we could not even tell if the person we were seeing was Brandon or if we were even looking at the right window.
Eventually Brandon came outside and told us that Caroline Rose Hinson entered this world.
When I first told colleagues I was going to be a grandfather, several responded with “Wow, I did not think you were old enough to be one.” Reminders that our clock is ticking faster than we might want isn’t necessarily the uplifting voice we want to hear. While standing outside in the rain waiting for Caroline’s debut, it was not my age that occupied my thoughts.
Rather, it was a sense of purpose that was being fulfilled. I had the same feeling walking Courtney down the aisle a year earlier. My lasting contribution to the world is my three kids and now I was witnessing first-hand them having their own - a sort of passing of the baton to the next runner. I had accomplished something special that was going to last well beyond me.
The timing of Caroline’s debut in the middle of a pandemic may on the surface seem to be unfortunate, but it was actually the perfect antidote to Covid.
How so? Covid has forced us to slow down. We are not traveling, going to meetings or going out to eat with friends. Rather, we are spending more time at home with family, more time with Caroline. As I hold her I cannot help but marvel at the miracle of life.
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