Twenty years ago today

Today is my birthday. I’m not doing anything special, but I do remember where I was twenty years ago on this day. I was in the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. I was there with Allison who was just ten days old. She was fighting for her life. Lynn and I didn’t know how much time we would have with Allison. We wanted to make sure she experienced something other than a hospital room. So we read to her and played music from a portable CD player. I can’t say for sure if she had any favorites, but she seemed to respond to one song – All the pretty little ponies by Kenny Loggins with help from Grahm Nash and David Crosby. (Refresh the screen if it doesn’t play)

I would not have another birthday together with Allison. But whenever I hear this song I think of her and the time we spent together in the NICU. She has looked over us for the past twenty years.