Guts are good

Have you ever trusted your gut about something and later realized you were right on the money? I've had it happen a few times, and as I was sharing a couple of those times with Jeff, I realized that every one of them has happened since Biscuit arrived.

I'm sure I had gut instincts before, but either I didn't listen to them or maybe they just weren't that important. But since I had Biscuit, I've relied on those feelings a lot more.

When Biscuit was about 2 1/2 months old, I told Jeff that I needed to make a 7 1/2-hour road trip to see my Granny. And because Jeff knows me the way he knows me, he said, "Okay."

I called my Mama and told her I needed to go and that I would like her to go with me. I didn't say I wanted to go. I told her that I needed to go. 

It was January, so Mama was worried about the possibility of bad weather. I told her I was going whether she went with me or not, and I'd really like it if she would go. I told her that I just had a feeling that I needed to go.

Mama knows about these feelings. I can share all kinds of stories about her gut instincts.

So we drove to see Granny, and I'll never forget the look on her face when I took the blanket off of Biscuit. She was already in failing health, so she couldn't pick him up. But I had her sit in her recliner, then I put Biscuit in her lap. She was so happy that she got tears in her eyes.

The third night we were there, I was up in the middle of the night feeding Biscuit, and I heard Granny very weakly calling my name. She said she wasn't feeling well and wanted to know if I would wake up my Mama and my Uncle (whom Granny lived with). It was about 3 a.m., but when I woke them up, they moved quickly. I helped Granny get dressed while Mama and my Uncle got dressed.

They took Granny to the hospital, and she never came home.

I still miss Granny all the time, but I can't put into words how much it means to me that she got to see Biscuit. I trusted my gut, and Granny and Biscuit crossed paths for three days.

At Granny's funeral, several people from her church told me that Granny said she wanted to stick around until she got to meet Biscuit. And she got her wish.

This conversation about trusting your instincts came up as I was reflecting on how glad I was that I spent an extra night at my parents' house last week. My Mama doesn't drive well at night, so the fact that I was there to drive them to the emergency room was a big relief for them.

I told Jeff before I left home that I was in a no-win situation. I said, "If I don't go, Daddy will say, 'I thought Kim would come.' And if I did go, Daddy would say, 'Well, you didn't need to come.'" But as I was driving Mama and Daddy home from the emergency room, Daddy said, "Well, I guess I need to apologize. I gave you a hard time for coming down here, but I sure am glad you're here."