Harold the Third

In 1975, he was only twenty years old and had been married to the love of his life for just about 11 months.  The weather was bitterly cold and hurricane-strength winds tore through town, driving sharp daggers of rain against windows and everyone was battening down the hatches for the storm of the century.  He was driving a red station wagon toward their little mobile home trailer just outside of downtown Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan.  But his thoughts were focused on his beautiful young wife and brand new baby back at the hospital in town.

The young couple had met at church the previous year and for him, it was love at first sight.  She was blonde, blue-eyed and tan just graduating from high school that year.  He was already in college and the moment he saw her, he thought “she’s the one for me”.  When she agreed to accompany him to a youth group meeting he was pretty excited.  Subsequent group dates moved things along quickly for them and after only a few weeks they were engaged to be married.  Their wedding was a smaller family affair at the church where they met.  After honeymooning in Florida, they came home and he finished out his last semester at college.  After college, he and his cute little wife moved to the town in Michigan’s upper peninsula where he had spent much of his life.  Sault Sainte Marie had a floral greenhouse where he planned to work to gain experience in his chosen field and since milk delivery was still common in that area, he also ran a milk route.

As he drove through town in the pouring rain, the wind whipping all around him, he remembered the day she told him there was going to be an addition to their little family.  He was ecstatic and just a little bit nervous all rolled into one.  As the oldest of six children, he knew the heavy responsibility that came with parenthood.  He’d seen his parents work hard to provide for their family and he had great respect for such an important role.

His wife wore her pregnancy well, often getting whistled at by passers-by until she turned around and showed off her bulging belly.  He was glad that they still spent time together studying God’s Word and believed that what had happened at the hospital the past 24 hours was going to be made good through the Lord’s compassionate plan.  She had begun having contractions the day before and the labor pains really picked up speed around ten p.m.  After checking in at the hospital, he got her all settled and then went to call their parents, letting them know “it’s time”.  He also paused and prayed over her and their, as yet, unborn child.

Eighteen hours later and the baby still wasn’t born.  Now things were getting intense and the hospital staff was worried about his wife and his baby.  At practically the very last moment, when he could already see the baby’s head, they could no longer hear the baby’s heartbeat and recommended that an emergency C-section be performed immediately.  Around 6 in the evening he prayed for his precious wife as they took her away.  Calling their families again, he requested prayer support.  Shortly after he had returned to the waiting room a nurse came out and told him that although there had indeed been some serious complications, everything was fine. The baby was a 9 pound 12 ounce girl!!  They would perform a few tests on both Mama and baby now, during which he should go home and get some rest.

So there he was, driving through town in the middle of a virtual hurricane in total awe and wonder at the goodness of the Lord.  He knew that their prayers had availed much and prevented the labor and birth complications from becoming lasting issues.  Stopping at a little drive-in hamburger joint on the way home, he parked the station wagon facing the mouth of the river.  The gales of November were blustering and billowing all around.  As he munched on his burger and mused about the miracles he just witnessed, he felt the car shake mightily and the rear end of the car begin to lift off of the ground.  Eyes wide open, he watched the river bank approach at an unnatural angle toward his windshield.  And then, as quickly as it had lifted him, the wind whirled away and dropped his car back in its spot.  Thanking the Lord for yet another miracle, he pulled out of the parking lot to rush home and check on their little house.

While his wife and baby girl were being tested and treated, he found his home being battered by the storm.  With the living room windows blown out, he had no choice but to prop their mattress up against the elements and do his best to clean up the mess it had made.  After mopping up the place, he got a change of clothes and headed back to the hospital.  When he got back, things had settled down around his exhausted wife and the nurse was able to bring the baby in to them.  The new mother held her not-so-tiny baby and cooed over her.  He knew that because of the medications she wouldn’t remember much about it later but he stored that precious moment in his memory banks for her.  And then he took his baby girl in his arms for the first time.  And for the second time in his life, it was love at first sight.

Years later, when their second daughter was born and whisked away to a different hospital’s neo-natal intensive care, he would remember God’s faithfulness at the birth of this first child and he knew that placing his trust in God was his only choice.  He decided that he would trust God and that has become his legacy to both of his girls.  As he and his wife raised their miracle children, they chose to honor God, to trust Him and to defer to His Word in every instance. 

The girls watched their father work hard in the family business to care for them and the oldest daughter has determined to take the lessons she learned from him and apply them in her own life.  She is amazed at the amount of patience he had with her when she was a teenager, trying out her wings.  She remembers his strength and steadfastness when she was hit by a car at the age of fifteen.  Her Dad is hilarious, trustworthy, full of integrity and not easily provoked.  His love for all things musical brought a unity to their family from the time the girls were small.  They all enjoy playing and singing together for the glory of God.  He is a strong Christian and was always spiritually and physically protective of all three of his “girls”.  He has extended that protectiveness to his sons-in-law and to his three grandchildren.

His business associates respect him; he always has creative ideas and a dream in his heart.  He encourages everyone around him to seek the Lord and willingly prays with and ministers to people.  He builds up and doesn’t tear down.  He dreams big and hopes much.  His beliefs are rock solid and even when challenged through adversity, he still stands strong.  His wife loves him deeply and his children and grandchildren call him blessed.

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy!  Love, Chopper

Note:  Some non-essential creative liberties were taken with this story.  For example, whether any mopping up of the little mobile home actually occured that day.  All the rest is true.