(Or an Ama)

Rewards:

You all know what a reward is right? Something given to recognize your service, your effort or achievement. (Just in case, I’ll clarify that in this particular writing, I’m talking about a positive reward, not like a judgement, “like you get what you had coming”) I think deep down inside we all want to be rewarded for our efforts sometimes. Well, I know I do.

Have you ever known you’re getting a reward? Maybe a gift? You mentally plan your reaction, you practice the words you’ll say in gratitude. And, has it happened that you didn’t get it after all?? Or, maybe you had to wait longer for it. Oh the shock and disappointment.

Expectation

It happened to me. I was even given a date as to when to expect this gift. I considered it my recompense for all I’d “suffered” in the previous season. (I’m not inspired to write about that previous season yet.) 

Gracias, muchas gracias

My head exploded as I waited in anticipation for my reward. It would be another lane in my race to the finish, oh, but it gave me adrenaline, Andale pues, echale ganas! I was getting revved up for this. Of course I wasn’t sure how I should prepare, but I was excited for this. I tried not to hover over the gift givers. I tried not to track them, or over react to their actions. I wanted to appreciate them as they were gonna give so grand a gift.

A January Surprise

As I patiently waited for the appointed date, my husband surprised me with the great news that we would take a quick trip to our Prescott bible conference. (a six day span and six hour drive) Yay! A much needed time. Wait!? We couldn’t leave. Yes we could. Maybe we shouldn’t, yet there was plenty of time, it was twelve days before my appointed time. I consulted and reconsulted with Ben and anyone who would listen, I assured myself that everything would go as planned. How could it not?

Smooth Sailing

I love it when things go as planned. I had all my packing done on time and we were on the road as scheduled (It was a good sign) We arrived in Prescott having seen the beautiful cap of white shimmering snow on the mountain top excited for our winter conference, January 7-11, I was ready to hear from God :D. We went to the opening service that night and we knew it was gonna be incredible and for a moment I forgot about my gift back home.

Early morning call

I was enjoying peaceful sleep when my phone buzzed; 6am. My son was calling to tell me that they were on the way to the hospital. What?! It wasn’t time. What could be wrong? First babies didn’t arrive early, besides I wasn’t even there. I wasn’t even there! Ben was awake, which was good because I needed to go home, he needed to take me. I was supposed to be there. It wouldn’t take me long to throw everything in the suitcase now. Ben was groggy, but he was awake and he clearly told me we weren’t leaving. I had to leave. Didn’t he care? My first grandchild was perhaps already on the way, and I was in the mountains of Arizona!! I would get a flight, I needed a ride to phoenix. I wanted to be present, why couldn’t he understand? Why wasn’t Jonathan calling me back? Maybe it was a false alarm, that was certainly possible. He called me, they were keeping her, she was in active labor and I wasn’t there.What could I do? How quickly could I get home? 

DON’T TELL ANYONE!

I was worried (especially since I wasn’t there) but Jonathan put a restriction on me, (What? Kids don’t restrict parents!) he didn’t want me to tell anyone yet. I didn’t listen, I called my dear friend and asked her to pray. Then, I called my big sister. She said “Do you want me to go for you?” (That’s how she is you know, always looking out for me) Ben’s calm nature always calms me in my most difficult moments and it did this time also.

Labor and Delivery

The entire day, my first born was pretty good about calling me and letting me know the progress, my reward was coming down that birthing canal while I heard the preaching, but I was intently listening to the buzzing of my phone. When we returned in the evening, he called while I was praying (very distracted in that prayer meeting I must confess, a one track prayer that night) He suggested I find someone with an iphone so I could see this historical Greene moment at least via Facetime (He wanted me there too, I should be there! How could this be happening?) 

I found my friend and she released her iphone to me, and I saw my son’s face on the day he was to become a daddy; beautiful excitement, anticipation and some anxiousness on his handsome face. Then he turned the phone to my laboring daughter inlaw (so sweet, in that difficult painful moment, she was politely greeting me 😀 ) Denise’s face grimaced as she said she needed to push and I heard her mommas voice in the background. It was good, she should be there. My son turned the phone back to him explaining that he would show me as soon as the baby came out. He was hoping for a boy, I still didn’t know if I wanted a grandson or granddaughter, I don’t think that mattered too much, this baby was coming and we would know soon enough. Push. Rest. Push, this went on for a while, then, all the way from my location in the Prescott Conference tent I heard the commotion (I was kind of, sort of there) and saw my first grandchild. That beautiful little baby was a part of me? Oh Yes! She opened a whole new chapter in my life. She crowned me Ama :D. It was only the second night of the conference but I was ready to go home again. I needed to claim my reward.

Epilogue

Can there be epilogues in blog posts? Because this story has one. See, of course I didn’t go home, I impatiently waited for the conference to conclude and did manage to glean God’s blessing from it. When Friday came around I was excited. I would be ready really early Saturday so we could head home. As the day progressed I was feeling a cold was coming on. By the time we rolled into San Diego Saturday afternoon, the cold had come along for the ride and a sore throat with it. We went to see our first granddaughter.By this point, five days later, everyone but one loyal friend had held her before me/us (She told me she was going to wait for me to hold her first, I loved her more for that sacrifice :D) Now I watched as my husband held our sweet baby. How could I begrudge him, he had been anxious for this moment too. I gave my daughter in law the gifts I bought (shopping for my nieta had helped me as I waited to see her, great therapy). I knew I needed to wait a few more days to hold her and snuggle her, and smell her sweet breath and kiss her tiny toes. 

Maricella Sierra Greene born January 8, 2013. Rosalba Z. Greene aka Ama 😀 eventually held her reward before January was snuffed out into the past.